


101 Dalmatian Street: The New Neighbor

by Veilo



Category: 101 Dalmatian Street (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Development, Drama, Family Dynamics, sibling relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:40:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 112,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21557164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veilo/pseuds/Veilo
Summary: The Dalmatian family gets a new neighbor who has recently moved in from Southeast Europe. He seems very friendly and eager to get to know all of them, but are his intentions good like his friendliness?
Comments: 82
Kudos: 121





	1. The New "D" in Town

**Dalmatian St, Camden Town, London.**

A dog was making its way through the street, towards a certain house.

"98, 99, 100… 101, this must be it!" It stopped in front of the house, numbered "101", knocking on the main door, the dog sat down waiting for it to open.

The dog's ears stood up when a voice from the other side shouted:

"Coming!"

A beep was heard, drawing the dog's attention for a second before the door opened.

A Dog with white fur on spots, a black right ear with white spots, and a red collar with a star attached to it, a Dalmatian, emerged out of the house.

"Oh, Hello! How can I help you?" the Dalmatian asked, noticing that the dog standing in front of him was a Dalmatian as well.

"Hello there! I moved here yesterday and I wanted to introduce myself." the Dalmatian said, as the black-eared dog inspected the stranger, immediately noticing that he was very tall, both his eyes had black patches covering them, his tail was completely covered in black, and wore a crimson collar with white dots and a golden tag attached to it.

"My name is Desmond, Desmond Dots, nice to meet you." He said as the black-eared dog stood there in awe, admiring his height.

"Ah… Oh, Sorry! Dylan! My name is Dylan Dalmatian." The dog said, startled.

"Sorry again, but you're just so tall, couldn't help but stare a bit. I hope I'm not being rude." He said nervously.

"Nah, don't worry, I get that a lot. Lots of dogs are surprised by how tall I am, especially when they learn that I'm still an adolescent." He said with a smile.

"What?! I'm one too!" Dylan said surprised.

"Yeah, I noticed"

"I mistook you for an adult, actually." Dylan replied, giggling a bit.

Desmond looked around the door before locking eyes with Dylan again.

"Say, Dylan. Earlier I heard a beeping sound around the door. Know what that was?" Desmond asked curiously.

"Oh! That's just our paw-print scanner, can't be too careful you know?"

"But… How is your human going to get in then?"

"Human? We don't have a human. My family and I live here all by ourselves." Dylan said proudly.

"That so?! I've never heard of dogs living in a house without a human." Desmond exclaimed in confusion and surprise.

"Got to say, you and your family sure are impressive, if you can live like that, all by yourselves." Desmond said impressed.

"Why thank you! Most dogs around here don't think highly of us because of that." Dylan said a bit peeved.

"Pay them no attention. As long as you're happy as you are, that's the only thing that matters." Desmond said encouragingly.

"Right!" Dylan said in confidence.

"Hey, Desmond, you said you just moved in, right? Can I ask where from?"

"Romania." He told him.

"Wow! From Romania?! That far away?" Dylan exclaimed.

"Well it's not a big deal, don't be that surprised." Said Desmond, chuckling a little.

"I should give you a tour around Camden then." Dylan said eagerly.

"I'd appreciate it. It'd be nice knowing the area, seeing as I'll be staying for a long time."

"Great!"

"Hey, Desmond. Why don't you come in, talking outside like this is a bit awkward." said Dylan with a smile, pointing towards the inside of the house.

"Oh no, no, please, you're being too kind Dylan!" Desmond said surprised.

"Please, I insist. You'll also meet my family too. Didn't you want to meet all your new neighbors?" asked Dylan.

"If you insist then." Desmond said, following Dylan inside the house.

Dylan closed the door as they entered the house. Desmond looked around noticing a staircase in front of him leading to a second floor.

"Sorry, it's a bit dirty. I was just halfway done cleaning when you showed up." Dylan said a little embarrassed.

"Don't worry. I can get pretty messy too." Desmond said, trying to relate to him.

"Well, make yourself at home. The living room is at your left, down the hallway. I'll be with you in—" Dylan was interrupted when another Dalmatian slid down the staircase's banister landing in front of Desmond.

Desmond took a good look at her, she had longer-than-usual ears, had three black spots under both her eyes, the spots on her legs resembled sleeves, and she wore three differently colored collars instead of one.

"Who's the new guy, Dylan? She asked with curiosity.

"This is Desmond, he just moved in and came to introduce himself." Dylan told her.

"So, Des then?" she asked with a smile.

"Yeah, if you prefer." Desmond said returning the smile.

"This is my sister, Dolly." Dylan said a bit annoyed by his sister's interruption.

"And as I was saying, you can go wait in the living room while I finish cleaning, Desmond." Dylan said quickly going back to cleaning the house.

"I'll be right back!" He exclaimed.

"Don't worry bro, I'll keep him company." Said Dolly walking beside Desmond through the hallway.

As they entered the living room, Dolly gestured towards a couch on which Desmond could sit on.

"So, Des, where from?"

"Romania."

"Oh! First time in London then?"

"Yeah."

"You should get to know the place in that case." Dolly suggested.

"Dylan offered to give me a tour around Camden, actually."

"Cool, cool." Dolly said with disinterest when she heard that her brother would be the tour guide.

"Do you have any relatives or friends around here?" she asked, intrigued.

"No, I came here alone."

"Whaa?! All by yourself? Sounds pretty lonely."

"I suppose, but I'm used to living by myself."

"How so?"

"Since my parents are constantly at work, I don't get to see them that often and I don't have siblings, so most of the time I'm the only one at home." Desmond said, with a bit of sadness in his voice.

"Any friends, then?" asked Dolly, a bit concerned.

"Well, a few, but they are very reliable and sometimes come over at my home or call me to hang out with them. They always got my back when I need it." Said Desmond, with a cheerful smile.

"That's good to hear!" she said, patting him on the back.

"You sound like the total opposite of our family."

Desmond cocked his head and rose an eyebrow in confusion.

"Dylan and I have a very big family, you see."

"Oh?!" responded Desmond, perking up his ears.

"Yep! He and I are the bosses here. We take care of all our siblings when our parents aren't at home, of course. Though, Dylan can be a control freak some times." Dolly smirked, as she mentioned her brother's name.

"No, I'm not!" Dylan sternly said, overhearing his sister, as he came back from his chore.

"Just kidding, bro." she said with a smirk.

"Anyway, hope she didn't bother you too much, Desmond."

"No, not at all. She seems nice."

"Yeah, if by nice you mean irresponsible." Dylan said staring at his sister.

"You should've helped me with the chores, Dolly." He said in annoyance

"Chill, Dylan. I said that I'd help you later, remember?" she replied, as she laid down on the couch, next to Desmond.

"What help?! I'm already done with—" Dylan stopped, sighing as he realized the futility in scolding his sister.

"Okay, okay. How about I do all the chores tomorrow?" she offered.

"… Fine." He replied, focusing his attention back at Desmond.

"Alright, Desmond. Now that you've met Dolly, it's time for you to meet the rest of the family." Dylan said, gesturing for Desmond to follow him.

Dolly joined them as they walked to the backyard.

As they stepped outside the house and into the backyard, a ball hit Desmond on the head causing him to halt in astonishment.

"Heads-up, Des!" Dolly exclaimed as another ball was heading Desmond's way.

He jumped to the side avoiding the ball, then quickly ducked, when a racket flew over his head.

"Ah! Desmond, are you alright?!" yelled Dylan worried, rushing to his aid.

"I'm fine."

"But you mind telling me what that was?" Desmond asked, a little startled.

"Turn around and you'll see." Dolly said, pointing behind him.

Desmond turned his head around, wondering what Dolly meant. His eyes widened in disbelief of what he saw. There were dozens of small puppy Dalmatians, running around the backyard playing games such as tug of war, hide and seek, hopscotch, Simon says, tag, and so on.

"Are those all of your siblings?!" Desmond asked astonished.

"How many are there?"

"97, but not all of them are here, some are still in the house" Dolly answered, with a smug smile.

"I know you said you had a big family, but I wasn't expecting this!"

"Hey, everyone! Attention, please!" Dylan yelled at the pups, drawing their attention towards him.

"This is Desmond, he just moved in, so I expect all of you to come greet—" Dylan was cut off by a huge wave of puppies, jumping onto Desmond knocking him down on the ground in a big, group hug.

"Ouch!" Desmond exclaimed.

"They certainly are friendly." He said, gasping for air.

Desmond tried pulling himself out from the puppy pile to no avail. Dylan and Dolly grabbed his paws, helping him pull out of the pile of siblings.

"Sorry about that. You alright?" Dylan asked as he stood Desmond up.

"I'm good. Not used to this kind of greeting though." Desmond replied, rubbing his head.

"Don't sweat it, Des. You'll get used to it." Reassured Dolly.

Dylan turned his attention towards the pups, giving them a stern stare, causing them to immediately stand up from the ground and line up in front of him.

"How many times must I tell you not to do that to our guests?" he asked the puppies, with a firm tone.

"We're sorry, big brother." The little puppies apologized in unison.

"Now, how about you greet our guest properly?"

"Hello, mister Desmond!" the pups said in unison again.

"Hello, everyone." Desmond replied, blushing a bit.

"C'mon, bro, give 'em some slack. They were just being friendly." Dolly said.

"Tackling someone on the ground isn't friendly, Dolly." Dylan differed.

"Whatever you say, General party pooper." She said, sneering at him.

Dylan just rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, the ground under Desmond gave in and he fell into a deep hole.

"AH!" Desmond groaned when he hit the bottom of the hole.

"My back!" he whimpered.

Desmond felt something moving under him, a small Dalmatian pup popped its head up from the dirt, staring at him.

"Hello." He greeted, innocently.

"Hi!" Desmond replied, baffled.

"You look new, your smell is new too!" the pup said, giving a big smile.

Desmond stood himself up, allowing the pup to fully emerge from the dirt beneath him.

Now he got a better look at the small Dalmatian. He was covered in mud-stains, had a monobrow, and wore a light brown collar.

"You're also very tall." the pup said, examining Desmond.

"And you're very muddy." Desmond said, putting his paw on the pup's head, shaking it in a playful manner.

"Hehe! That's because I love digging!"

"I take it you're the one who made this hole, then?"

"Yup! Not only this hole, but I also dig all the holes here!" the pup proudly declared.

"That so?" Desmond said in amusement.

"Say, I didn't get your name, little guy."

"I'm Diesel!" he replied.

"I am Desmond, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Desmond!" Diesel said, with a broad smile.

"So, Diesel, think you can get us out of here?"

"Yeah, I can. Just follow me." He said, heading towards the hole's wall, burring his paws into it.

"Dig, dig, dig…" he started repeating as he began digging upwards.

Desmond entered the newly made hole, Diesel dug, following him to the surface.

* * *

"Oh, my dog! Oh, my dog! Quickly get a rope or something, Dolly!" Dylan yelled at his sister.

"Already got one." Dolly replied, giving it to her brother.

"This is Diesel's work. I know he loves digging and all, but his craze for making holes has recently gone overboard!

"What will Desmond think of us now? He got hit by a ball, almost didn't lose his head from a racket, and now this!"

Dylan and Dolly started lowering the rope in the hole when they heard a loud digging noise behind them.

Diesel emerged from the ground, jumping on the surface, shaking some dirt off, quickly followed by Desmond.

Dylan and Dolly ran towards them.

"Desmond are you hurt, any injuries?!" Dylan asked, inspecting Desmond's body thoroughly.

"You okay, Des?" Dolly asked concerned.

"Just bruised my back a little, nothing to worry about." Desmond replied, rubbing his back.

"A little? Your whole back's in bruises! And you have several wounds!" Dylan exclaimed.

"Are they big?" Desmond asked.

"Fortunately no, but we need to treat them."

"Diesel, look what you've done!" Dylan scolded his brother.

"It was an incident, Dylan. Diesel didn't mean it." Dolly argued.

"Indeed. Diesel here was the one who got me out, in fact." Desmond confirmed, putting a paw on Diesel's head.

Dylan thought a bit, realizing that Diesel really didn't mean any harm.

"Alright, but at least worn when you dig such deep holes, okay?"

"And thanks for getting Desmond out." Dylan said, giving his brother a smile.

"You got it!" Diesel replied, going back to digging holes.

"Oh! I'll be digging a deep hole now." He warned.

"Okay." Dylan replied, giggling.

"Come on, Desmond. We need to take care of your injuries." Dylan told him, as they all went back in the house.

* * *

"Ouch! Can you be gentler?" Desmond moaned.

"Sorry, I'm not very good at this." Dylan apologized, as he was warping a bandage around Desmond's lower back.

"Mom's gonna be home soon. If you stay a bit longer, she can better treat your bruises, Des." Dolly offered.

"Oh, yeah! Mum works as a nurse, she'll properly handle your injuries." Dylan said in reassurance.

"Well… Since you offered." Desmond replied. As he felt eyes on him he spun his head around, trying to find who was observing him, but couldn't see anyone.

"Hey, Dylan, Dolly. Do you feel like someone's staring at us?" Desmond asked.

"It's him isn't it?" Dylan asked his sister, giving her a small smile.

"Who else."

"You can come out Dante. He doesn't bite, despite his size." Dolly said, cackling, pointing at Desmond.

Watching carefully from the top of the staircase, a dog with black fur started coming down the stairs. Desmond, at first thought the dog was a black Labrador, but as the dog reached the base of the staircase, he realized that it had white spots on his black coat, the spots on his left ear were purple as were his paws, he had dark pinkish bags under his eyes, and wore a gray spiked collar.

"I was just curious as to why Desmond got injured." Dante said, approaching Desmond.

"You know my name?" Desmond said surprised.

"I overheard your name earlier when you were talking with Dolly." Dante answered.

"Why didn't you come greet him, then?" Dolly asked.

"Just being wary. He could mean disaster to our family, after all!"

"Pardon?" Desmond asked a bit insulted.

"Oh, no, don't take it personally, Desmond. Dante's just a little paranoid about everything. He does this with every new person he meets." Dylan explained.

"He's very paranoid, actually." Dolly corrected.

"That's because DOOM AWAITS US ALL EVERYWHERE!" Dante shouted with a dramatic voice.

"Dante, please! Not in front of Desmond. You're going to freak him out." Dylan frowned at his brother.

"Hey, I'm just warning you." Dante said with a gloomy expression.

"So, how did he get hurt?" Dante asked.

"He fell into one of Diesel's holes." Dylan answered.

"If you're going to be hanging around here, you should be wary of everything." Dante warned Desmond.

"I'll keep that in mind." Desmond said in amusement.

"There, all done. This should do it until Mum comes home." Dylan said, finished bandaging Desmond.

"Excuse me! Can you straighten your back a bit, please?" A voice behind Desmond asked.

Everyone spun around seeing a Dalmatian pointing a brush at Desmond while holding a canvas.

Desmond noted that the spots on her fur weren't only black, but in a variety of colors, her paws were stained in paint, she had a black patch on her right eye, her left ear was folded, and instead of a collar, she wore a pink bandanna.

"Why?" Desmond asked intrigued.

"I need a full view of it. You have the figure I was looking for. Oh, and if you can turn your head sideways, that'd be great." The painter dog requested, pointing her brush at Desmond's head.

"Can I get the name of my painter?" Desmond asked while turning his head to the side.

"Da Vinci." The painter dog said, going back to her canvas.

"Da Vinci! You can't just draw others without permission! Ask first, at least." Dylan told his sister.

"It's fine Dylan. I'm a big fan of art, actually. I don't mind, so long as it doesn't take too long." Desmond told him.

"You don't have to stay still all day… Umm…?" Da Vinci struggled to think of a way to refer to the tall dog.

"Desmond." He told her, smiling.

"You don't have to stay still all day, Desmond. If you're okay with it, I'd like to continue this session with you… Tomorrow maybe…? If you have time to spare, of course."

"Sure, just give me a copy when you're done, okay, Da Vinci?" he joked.

"I'll make sure to give you one." Da Vinci chuckled, continuing her work on the painting.

"Well, seeing as this is going to take a while, I'm going to go finish the rest of the chores." Dylan said.

"Come on, Dante. You'll be helping me out with them."

"Why me! Dolly's right there, wasn't she supposed to help you with them today?!" Dante protested, pointing at his older sister.

"She promised me she'd do all the chores tomorrow, that's why I'm not bothering her today." Dylan explained.

"Besides, haven't you been slacking off your chores for the last couple of days?" Dylan said, giving Dante a stern look.

"Have fun with the chores, Dante." Dolly teased her little brother.

"I really wished a catastrophe happened right now." Dante groan.

"You can keep on wishing while washing the dishes." Dylan also teased his little brother.

"I'll be staying here. I'm curious how much time Des can stay still before his body gives up." Dolly jested, looking at Desmond.

"I'll have you know that I've got a lot of stamina in me." Desmond said with a smirk.

"We'll see." Dolly replied, smirking back at him.

After half an hour, Dolly found herself highly bored with watching Da Vinci paint Desmond. So, she quietly slipped out of the room, not wanting to disturb her sister from drawing, and went into the backyard to play with the puppies.

After some more time, a beep was heard coming from the main door as it opened. A mature female Dalmatian entered the house.

"Sweeties, I'm home!" she informed everyone in the house.

"Mum!" Dylan shouted in delight.

"Mom!" So did Dolly, and everybody else in the house. All rushing towards her in a group hug.

"Ah! Mum's home. Well, this is enough for today, Desmond." Da Vinci told him.

"Finally!" Desmond exclaimed, stretching out, cracking his joints.

"Not to sound like I didn't enjoy modeling for you, but my whole body feels sore." He told her while still stretching.

"We can continue this tomorrow if you still want."

"Oh, certainly! I'd like to draw you in a couple other poses if you don't mind."

"Yeah, sure. Whenever you want."

"Alright, I'll go greet Mum. Come meet her, Desmond."

Da Vinci dashed out the living room towards the front door, where her other siblings were, hugging their mother. Desmond walked out of the living room and into the hallway.

As he was making his way towards the pile of pups, he saw that the adult Dalmatian was half a head shorter than him, her right ear was black with white spots just like Dylan's, she wore a blue collar with a green tag attached to it and carried a medkit in her mouth.

"Hey, Mom, where's Dad?" Dolly asked her mother.

"He'll be working the late shift, dear." Her mother answered.

"AWW!" all the pups exclaimed in disappointment.

The adult dog fixed her eyes on Desmond approaching her.

"Oh, why hello! Who might you be, a friend of Dylan and Dolly perhaps?" She asked in wonder.

"That's Desmond, Mum! He's our new neighbor." Dylan answered.

"Yeah! He recently moved all the way from Romania to live here." Dolly added.

"Recently? I did hear that someone was moving to live on the street yesterday. So you were the newcomer?" She said, giving a warm smile.

"Even though Dylan already told you my name, I feel like properly introducing myself." Desmond stated.

"I am Desmond Dots. Pleased to meet you!"

"How well-mannered." She said, delighted.

"Delilah Dalmatian. The pleasure's mine."

Delilah then noticed the bandages on Desmond's body.

"Oh, dear! Are you injured?" she asked, worried.

"That's right! Mum, Desmond fell in one of Diesel's holes and hurt his back." Dylan told his mother, remembering.

"Oh, yeah. Think you can check Des' injuries, Mom?" Dolly asked.

"I tried treating him, but I don't think I did a good job." Dylan said, embarrassed.

"Well, let me see." Delilah said, walking behind Desmond, examining his back.

"Did you wash his wounds first?"

"I… No, I didn't. I just wrapped a couple of bandages around his back." Dylan admitted.

"We'll have to remove these bandages and wash your wounds, Desmond." Delilah told him, gesturing for Desmond to follow her to the bathroom.

All the pups followed right after them.

* * *

"AAAAH! Jeez! Why does it hurt so much now?! It didn't before." Desmond yelped, as Delilah washed his wounds.

"Delayed pain." She supposed.

"Delayed pain…? What's that?" Dolly asked, confused.

"It's something that usually happens after an injury, Dolly. Endorphins are released in your body which stops the pain signals traveling to your brain." Delilah explained.

"Aha! Therefore Desmond didn't feel pain at the time of injury, right?" Dylan exclaimed.

"Correct. Now, can you hand me over the peroxide?" she asked her son.

"Here you go, Mom!" a small pup said, handing it over to her mother.

"And here are some cotton pads too!" another small dog said, handing the pads.

"Thank you, Dizzy, Dee Dee." Delilah thanked her daughters.

Desmond turned his attention towards them.

Dee Dee, the one who gave her mother the peroxide, had a black streak between her eyes, her paws were covered in black fur, she had a black spot under her left eye, and wore two blue collars.

Her sister Dizzy had a left black ear with white spots, the spots on her face were in the shape of a pirate mask, she had spots on her legs resembling bands just like Dolly, and wore a blue collar with strips.

"Mister Desmond, is your owie really bad?" Dizzy asked, concerned.

"If so, we hope you get better soon." Dee Dee added.

"Don't worry you two, he's going to be just fine." Delilah reassured as she applied the peroxide on a pad, lightly wiping at Desmond's wounds.

"Augh…! I appreciate you tending to my wounds, Mrs. Dalmatian—"

"Delilah, dear."

"Appreciate you tending to my wounds, Delilah, but you think you can do it less painfully?"

"Afraid not, you'll just have to bear with it."

"Haha! Oh, c'mon, Des, you sound like a little pup!" Dolly joked, snickering at Desmond.

"Like to see you in my place." Desmond replied, irritated.

"Alright, done with the wounds. Dante go get me an ice pack." Delilah told her son.

"Sure." Dante replied, running to the kitchen.

"Here, Mom." He came back carrying a bunch of ice packs.

"One was enough, Dante." She said, cackling a bit.

"This will reduce the swelling." Delilah said, putting the pack on the bruises, then wrapped Desmond's back with a new clean bandage.

"There, this should do it." She told Desmond as she finished bandaging his wounds.

"Thank you, Delilah. Already feeling better." Desmond said with a smile.

"Hehe, if you say so. Now, tell me if the wounds worsen or the pain remains."

"Sure will."

"Oh, hey, Mom! Can we have Desmond stay for dinner?" Dolly asked with excitement.

"Hmm, that's a great idea, Dolly." Delilah noted.

"Say, kids, what do you think? You want Desmond to stay for dinner?" she asked her children.

"YAAAY!" all the pups shouted in agreement.

"Really? But I… Okay, but I'll be staying for a short time. I don't want to intrude."

"Nonsense, you're our guest. It'd be a perfect opportunity to get to know you Desmond." Delilah reassured.

"Alright, Dylan, Dolly, and Dante come help me set the table." She told her oldest children.

After a couple of minutes, everyone entered the dining room. Upon entrance, Desmond immediately noticed the table's huge length, it was stretching from one end of the room to the other. Every pup took its place around the table, waiting patiently for Desmond to join them before digging into the food.

"Yo, Des! Come sit over here, next to Dylan and me!" Dolly yelled from across the table.

Desmond made his way towards the end of the table as Dylan and Dolly made room between them for him.

"Ouch…! Hehe, guess this won't be fast to heal." Desmond rubbed his back as he sat down next to them.

The moment Desmond took his seat, all of the puppies dug their snouts into the food splattering kibbles everywhere.

"Wow! Looks like someone's hungry." Desmond exclaimed in surprise, giving a small smile.

"Kids, please, we have a guest. Behave yourselves." Delilah told her children with a bit of sternness in her voice.

All the pups stopped their onslaught on the food and started eating normally.

"Dolly, didn't you say Desmond was from Romania?" Delilah asked her daughter.

"Uh-huh." She nodded her head.

"Well, you know, I've visited the country once before." Delilah told the tall dog.

"Huh? When?! You've never told us that, Mum." Dylan said surprised.

"It was long ago, Dylan. Even before you were born." Delilah told him, giggling a little.

"Really? And what did you think of it?" Desmond asked intrigued.

"It was wonderful. The nature, the people, the architecture and especially the sunsets, oh, they were my favorite. But unfortunately, I went there during the winter and it was nightmarishly cold."

"At least the weather there is normal, not a mess like here in Britain." He joked.

"You can say that again." She said amused.

"But yeah, it can get a bit cold during winter." Desmond agreed.

"A bit?! I've never felt such chilling cold in my life. I was afraid I'd lose a paw or two." Delilah laughed.

"Though, with all that snow around, everybody there told me that I should try skiing. And I'll tell you I've never had more fun in my life, once I stepped on those skis." She grinned.

"OHO! Mom, you've skied? How did it go?" Dolly asked in eagerness.

"Hehe, well… I fell on my snout, the first couple times, but once I got the hang of it, it was a wonder sliding down the slopes."

"That's from where I learned how to ski, in fact." She added.

"Well, I've tried skiing too, but I figured it wasn't my thing." Desmond replied.

"So, where did you stay?" He asked.

"In Bucharest."

"That's where I was born and grew up." Desmond said, perking up.

"Oh, that so? I'll have to say your city is quite attractive, Desmond." She noted.

Desmond smiled proudly upon hearing that.

"I take it you've visited the Palace of the Parliament, then, since you were in the capital?"

"Of course, I wouldn't miss seeing the world's heaviest building."

"Heaviest…? Well, how heavy can it be?" Dylan asked intrigued.

"Does four million tons and a half sound a lot to you?" Desmond answered, raising his eyebrow smugly.

Dylan almost spat out his food from amazement.

"That heavy!" He said baffled.

"Wow!" Dolly exclaimed as did all the pups.

"Visited any other of my country's wonders?" Desmond asked, turning his attention back at Delilah.

"Well…" Delilah gave it a thought when she noticed Dante shaking.

"Dante, what's the matter dear? Are you feeling alright?" she asked her son, a bit worried as everyone turned their attention towards him.

"Oh, I know what's wrong with him." Dolly said, looking at Dante, giving him a frisky smile.

"I bet you're dying to ask, aren't you Dante?" Dolly said, squinting at him.

"Ask what you want, sweetie." Delilah told him.

"Have you… visited Bran Castle?" Dante asked a bit nervous.

"Ha! Knew you'd ask that!" Dolly smirked.

"I was just wondering! I always wanted to go to that castle, you know." Dante said, peeved.

"I'm afraid I haven't visited that castle, Dante. The only one I went to was Peleș Castle." Delilah told her son.

"I've been to Bran Castle. You can ask me anything you want about it, Dante." Desmond told him.

"Okay. Is there a torture chamber in the castle?"

"Kind of weird thing to ask Dante, but yeah, there is one."

"What's in it?"

"Well… There's an iron maiden… And an iron chair."

"Nice!" Dante said, with a creepy smile.

"Any other questions?"

"Oh yeah, was—"

"Dante! If you're going to ask any other questions like the previous one, can it wait until after dinner?" Delilah scolded him.

"Alright, Mom." He said a bit annoyed.

"So Desmond, did you move in with your family?"

"No, I moved here alone. My parents didn't mind me moving out of the country, they didn't care that much, to be honest. That's not to say they don't care about me… They just know I can take care of myself."

"What are your parents like?" she asked with interest.

Dolly took special attention to the question.

"Well… My parents and I aren't very close. Being so occupied with their jobs, they didn't have much time to spend with me. When they did, though, they always made sure to focus only on me."

"My mother is very strict whenever she's around, always expected me to behave like a well-mannered pup, even when it was just the two of us."

"As for my father, he is less authoritarian than my mother, made sure I behaved as well, but he was the one letting me loosen up more from the two."

"So your mom was a total killjoy?" Dolly asked.

"Guess so. She isn't the type of person to enjoy games or anything like that. The only thing on her mind was me being healthy and educated."

"Sounds like your parents love you a lot, even if they didn't do any pastime activities with you." Delilah said.

"Well, if it was only pastime activities. Again, since they were very occupied with work, I was alone at home most of the time, and that was the part that I hated the most. Being alone for a small pup can be… let's say unpleasant."

Desmond noticed that the pups were starting to make sad looks on their faces.

"But, well, that's in the past. Now I'm here to try and live my own life."

"Desmond, if you're in need of friends, we're here." Dylan suggested, giving Desmond a warm smile.

"Yeah, if you wanna spend some time with someone, give us a call!" Dolly added, slapping him on the back.

"AH! Watch the back!" Desmond groaned.

"That's very kind of you two." Delilah told them.

"Thanks, I'd appreciate having some friends around here. Especially, since all my friends are back in my country."

Desmond took a look at the window behind him and saw that it was getting dark.

"Oh! Look at that, seems like it's time for me to go." He told everyone.

"AWWW!" All of the pups exclaimed.

Desmond stood up from his sit as did all the other dogs, sending him off to the main door.

"Remember, you promised you'd come tomorrow to model for me." Da Vinci reminded him.

"Of course. I always keep my word, Da Vinci." Desmond reassured.

"Oh, Dylan! Is that tour offer still valid?"

"Yeah! Just say when." Dylan said with enthusiasm.

"Is tomorrow fine? I'd like to get to know the area as fast as possible."

"Not a problem. If you'd like we could start early, so we can cover more places." Dylan suggested.

"Good idea. How about… Ten in the morning? I hear from the news that the weather tomorrow will be mostly sunny."

"You got it!" Dylan said, giving Desmond a handshake.

"Hey! Hey! Remember your promise?!" Da Vinci said, a bit flustered.

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry I'll just come before the tour."

"Mum, it's not a problem if Desmond comes early tomorrow to model for me, is it?" Da Vinci asked her mother.

"Not at all, sweetie." Delilah replied.

"Thank you!" Da Vinci said, giving her a browed smile.

"You know, you can come over to my place anytime you like. My house number's 85." Desmond pointed toward a house down the street.

"Sure, we'll come over sometime." Dolly told him.

"Well, I'll be off, then." He said, before walking down the porch stairs.

" _la revedere!_ " Desmond said waving a paw.

Delilah giggled in amusement as she heard him say that.

"Huh?!" Everybody exclaim confused.

"Wha… What did he say?" Dylan asked puzzled.

"He said goodbye, dear." Delilah told him.

"Oooh! Bye to you, too, Desmond!" Dylan yelled as he waved a paw back at him as did his family.

Desmond just smiled at them as he made his way down the street, towards his house.

* * *

Desmond walked up the porch stairs towards the entrance of his house. As he opened the door, he turned on the lights, closing the door behind him.

He inhaled and exhaled heavily, before pausing for a moment.

"Everything went smoothly." The tall dog said while walking down the hallway.

Desmond entered his room located on the right side at the end of the hallway.

"Still got several things to unpack. Better get to it." He smirked.

"First, though…" Desmond looked at a computer in his room.

He booted it, jumping on the chair waiting for it to load. When it did, Desmond opened a chat application, typing:

" _The infiltration was successful._ "

Desmond waited for a response.

" _Perfect. As expected from my most reliable pet._ " The person on the other side replied.

Desmond scowled at being called a pet, but he was used to it and just continued writing on the keyboard.

" _Any additional orders?_ " He typed, sending the message.

" _No. Just continue as instructed._ " The person replied.

" _Get as close to them as possible, earn their trust, and then bring them to me._ "

" _As I said, I'll be paying for all your expenses while you're in London. Take your time, but you better not disappoint me as my incompetent nephew did._ "

" _I will not._ " Desmond reassured.

Desmond paused for a moment pondering on a thought.

" _I know it's not my place to question, but… What do you intend to do with them?_ " he typed.

" _…Oh, Desmond, my sweet pet. You need not worry yourself with such things. Just do as you're told and you'll get what you desire most._ "

Desmond bit his lips upon reading that.

" _Understood. I shall continue with the infiltration until further orders._ " He typed.

" _Good boy."_

" _Now, I'll wish you a good night._ " The person replied, ending the conversation.

Desmond put a paw on his forehead, rubbing it.

"…For them." He reminded himself before getting off the chair, turning the computer off, and heading to his bed.


	2. Camden Tour, Part 1

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!" An alarm clock started beeping, waking Desmond up.

Desmond put a paw on the clock, stopping it.

"…What's the time…?" Desmond yawned as he rubbed his eye.

"7:35 a.m.?" He saw, getting out of his bed and heading to the bathroom.

"Ah!" Desmond yelled, almost tripping on a suitcase.

"Oh, yeah! That's right, I forgot to unpack last night." He remembered while still yawning.

He started slightly twisting then stretching his back.

"Looks like my back's getting better."

Desmond looked over to his suitcases while cracking his neck.

"I'll unpack them after washing myself."

He got out of his room into the hallway and made his way towards the bathroom located to the left.

"Let's see, Dylan will be expecting me at 10 am. But I should be there earlier, that way we'll begin the tour exactly on time." Desmond told himself while washing his face.

As he got out of the bathroom, Desmond remembered his promise with Da Vinci.

"I should go early anyway. Da Vinci will be expecting me before the tour."

Entering the kitchen located at the end of the hallway, a ray of light coming out his window hit Desmond in the eyes. He looked out and saw the sun rising in the sky.

"There's that sunny day, the news promised." He said giving a smile.

Desmond started making himself breakfast.

"I got to unpack before I go out, though." Desmond reminded himself as he ate his kibbles.

"I'll just unpack quickly and go model for Da Vinci an hour earlier."

He finished his breakfast and went to unpack his suitcases.

"All done." Desmond finished. He looked at his alarm clock, seeing that it was 8:28 am.

"Quicker than I thought." He smirked.

Desmond took a small backpack in which he stored some money.

He exited his house trough the main door. Desmond closed the door, locking it.

He started making his way towards the Dalmatian family's house. As he was getting closer, Desmond heard someone calling him.

"Hello, you over there~" A dog was trying to grab Desmond's attention.

"Yes!" He looked to the side, seeing a Corgi waving from a window.

She had a yellowish-brown fur, long brown ears and wore a burgundy collar with pearls around it.

"Are you the new neighbor who moved in a day ago?" she asked, resting her head on her paw.

"That's me, yes. And you are?"

"Clarissa, dear." She replied.

"Desmond." He introduced himself.

"I must say Desmond, that crimson collar of yours is just to die for." Clarissa complimented him.

"Is the tag made out of pure gold?" her eyes were fixated on Desmond's collar.

"Yes, it is. And thanks for the compliment, but I need to—" Desmond got interrupted by her.

"Say, do you come from a wealthy family?" She asked interested.

"Well… I guess you could say that."

"I knew it! After all, a commoner couldn't possibly afford such a fine collar as yours."

"Thanks… I guess… Look, I'm in a hurry, so—" He said before getting interrupted by her again.

"Would you like to join me and my friends on a morning stroll? We were just about to set off."

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline, Clarissa. The neighbors living next to you already agreed to give me a tour around Camden." Desmond told her, trying to sound as polite as possible.

"Those ruff-raffs? Honestly, you would be better off spending time with the likes of _moi_. They'll only be a waste of your time, Desmond." She said, snobbishly.

"Hey now! No need for such words. They're a fine and kind family, you shouldn't be talking like that about them." Desmond scold her.

"Humph! The only thing they're fine in is being a bother for everyone on the street." Clarissa frowned as she looked towards the Dalmatians' house.

"But fine, suit yourself. If you change your mind, you know where to find me." She gave him a wink as she went back into her house.

"Well, isn't she nice?" Desmond scoffed as he continued towards the Dalmatians' house.

Desmond sat in front of the door and as he was about to knock, the door beeped and Da Vinci came out of the house.

"Desmond!" she exclaimed, wagging her tail.

"Good morning Da Vinc—" Da Vinci grabbed his paw and hastily dragged him in.

"Come on! Come on! You said you'd come early!"

"How did you know when exactly I'd come?" Desmond asked, surprised.

"I saw you coming from the window."

"Ahh, I see." He smirked.

"And I did come early. I came an hour before the tour."

"Yeah! So let's not waste any more time!" She continued dragging him up the staircase to the second floor. When suddenly, he bumped into a Dalmatian walking down the stairs.

"Whoa there! You almost fell, kiddo." He grabbed Desmond by the paw, preventing him from falling down the stairs.

"Honey, I told you, no running on the stairs." He told Da Vinci.

"Sorry, dad." Da Vinci told her father.

He pulled Desmond up, letting go of his paw.

"Hey, aren't you Desmond? Everybody was talking about you last night." He said.

Desmond saw at once that the Dalmatian was almost as tall as he was; not only that, but he was very robust, too. He had a black patch on his right eye, his lower body was mostly covered in black fur, and wore a dark blue collar with a shield-shaped badge.

"Name's Doug." He told Desmond, giving him a handshake.

"I'm Desm—" he immediately stopped, realizing how redundant that would be.

"Hehe, sorry. I completely forgot you knew my name." Desmond giggled.

"Don't worry about it." Doug guffawed.

"From what I hear, you sound like a very decent fellow. Everybody here seems to like you."

"Nah, your family is just too nice, Doug." Desmond smiled.

"Ah! Hope I'm not being impolite, I can call you by name, right?" Desmond asked, a bit nervous.

"Feel free to!" Doug replied.

"Well, I wish I could talk with you more, Desmond, but duty calls!" he said, patting Desmond on the head.

"Off to work, dad?" Da Vinci guessed.

"Yep! Have fun with your painting, sweetie." Doug hugged his daughter for goodbye.

"Dad, not in front of Desmond. Come on!" Da Vinci blushed.

Desmond just gave out a small chuckle.

"Looking forward to seeing you next time." He told Desmond, smiling at him.

"Same here."

Doug then continued walking down the stairs and towards the main door, but before he exited the house, he turned around and called out to his kids.

"Group hug!" Doug yelled. And a moment later a whole wave of pups jumped onto him, hugging him.

Desmond looked at the pile of pups and let out a small giggle.

"Seems like your father's even more affectionate than mine." He told Da Vinci while still looking at the pile of Dalmatians.

"Hey, what does he work, Da Vinci?" Desmond asked, raising an ear up.

"He's a firefighter. Why ask?"

"Just curious." Desmond told her, Da Vinci then grabbed and pulled him towards her room. After entering the room, Da Vinci closed the door and put a chair in front of an opened window.

"I'd like you to go sit on that chair, Desmond."

Desmond looked around, seeing that almost the entirety of the room was covered in paintings.

"Did you draw all of these?!" he asked very intrigued.

"Huh?! Ah, Yes! Each one of them is mine."

"They are all so beautiful." He exclaimed.

Da Vinci jolted and her face went red, blushing out.

"You… Think so?" she asked, her eyes sparkled with happiness.

"Uh-huh. Honest!"

Desmond started walking around the room closely observing each of Da Vinci's paintings.

"I could spend the whole day looking at them, they're so mesmerizing." He told her.

"This one especially." Desmond stopped in front of a big canvas on which a painting of London was portrayed. There was a sunset in the background and the clouds were colored in a pinkish-red hue.

Desmond just stood there and gazed at it as Da Vinci walked up to him.

"I'll be honest with you Da Vinci… I envy your skills." Desmond looked at her.

Da Vinci gave a puzzled look.

"Despite me being a huge fan of art… I was never good at it whatsoever." Desmond said, frowning a bit.

"Aww, don't say that. Everybody can be good at anything if they put some effort into it." She put her paw on his shoulder.

"…Maybe, but I've never been able to draw anything that didn't look like it came out of kindergarten." He gave a little giggle.

Da Vinci looked at her painting, thinking for a bit, before looking back at Desmond.

"Desmond… I could teach you how to if you want." She suggested.

"You would?" Desmond's ears stood up.

"Well… I mean… I've never taught anyone before, but I see that you genuinely love art and I'd give it a shot if it would make you happy." Da Vinci gave a warm smile.

"Not to mention that I owe you for modeling for me yesterday." She reminded.

Desmond couldn't help but grin out of joy.

"How about we postpone this session and just spend the hour drawing instead?"

"That'd be great!" Desmond wagged his tail, elated.

Da Vinci walked up to a desk in her room, grabbed two pencils lying on it and gave one to Desmond. Then she took out a couple of sketchbooks and started teaching him basic shapes.

* * *

"Dolly~! You missed a spot here." Dylan called out to his sister, pointing at a dirty smudge on the kitchen floor.

"Give me a second! I gotta finish preparing everyone's breakfast!" Dolly yelled.

"Don't forget to clean the bathroom too."

"I know, I know!"

"And today is window washing day!"

"Fine! Let me finish first!" Dolly was starting to get irritated.

"And the trash?" Dylan waked up to her, giving a smug grin.

"Bro… I'm five seconds away from shoving this bowl in your face if you don't zip it!" she gave her brother a mean look.

Dylan just gave out a cackle.

"Fine, I'll leave you." Dylan started walking out of the kitchen when Dolly shouted out.

"BREAKFAST!"

Dylan felt the floor shaking as a tsunami of pups rushed into the kitchen, running him over.

Dolly gave out a loud laugh, wiping off a tear.

Dylan stood himself up.

"Was that on purpose?" he asked, squinting at his sister.

"Who knows~" Dolly grinned at him.

He exhaled in exasperation.

"Let's see 1, 2, 3…" Dolly started counting her siblings, making sure all of them were on the table.

"Alright, does anyone want to join me on the tour?" Dylan asked his brothers and sisters.

"94, 95, 96… Uhh… Where's…" Dolly paused, seeing that one of her siblings was missing.

"DA VINCI! COME DOWN FOR BREAKFAST!" she shouted, but her sister didn't show up nor answer back.

"DA VINCI!"

"Augh! Dylan go get her, will ya?"

"Sure. She's probably too focused on a painting or something to hear you." Dylan assumed.

He exited the kitchen, walking up the staircase and arrived in front of Da Vinci's room.

"Da Vinci, come on, breakfast's ready." He said as he knocked on her door, then opened it.

"I know I have to draw them perfectly, but won't this do?" Desmond showed a bunch of poorly drawn squares, triangles, and circles in his sketchbook.

"Nope. I want you to draw them as precisely as possible, otherwise, we won't be able to move on to more complex shapes." Da Vinci shook her head.

"Tsk! Fine, I'll just have to practice more, right?" he asked, slightly vexed.

"Yeah! Yeah! Exactly, just don't—"

"Oh, Hey! Desmond! When did you arrive?" Dylan interrupted them.

"Good morning, Dylan!" Desmond greeted him.

"I came earlier, remember? Da Vinci just pulled me in her room before I could greet you."

"So that's what you were occupied with, huh, Da Vinci?" Dylan walked up to his sister.

"Well, come on. Everybody's waiting for you for breakfast."

"Okay, give me a second." She told him.

"Is your back getting better?" Dylan turned his attention at Desmond.

"Uh-huh, thanks to your mom."

"That's great. Say, Desmond, would you like to join us?"

"No, thanks. I already had breakfast." Desmond politely declined.

"Okay, then you can go wait in the living room. Use the TV if you want. I'll come shortly, there's still some more time before the tour."

"Thanks, Dylan!"

Dylan exited the room, walking back to the kitchen, joining his siblings.

"As I was saying, just don't give up. You'll get the hang of it." Da Vinci told Desmond, giving him the pencil and sketchbook he used.

"Why are you giving them to me?" Desmond got confused.

"Practice at home. I want you to draw those shapes for half an hour every day until you get them right." She smiled.

"…Thank you, Da Vinci." Desmond returned the smile.

Da Vinci then exited her room, promptly followed by Desmond, who put the pencil and sketchbook in his backpack. He then walked down the stairs as he did he saw Dolly passing by, carrying a mop in her mouth.

"Hey, good morning, Dolly!" he greeted her.

Dolly spat the mop out in a spinning manner, catching it as it fell.

"Morning Des!" How's you back?" she asked.

"Way better than yesterday."

"Good to hear! The others are in the kitchen if you're looking for them." She pointed towards the kitchen with the mop.

"I was heading to the living room, actually."

"Are you going to join us on the tour?" he asked.

"Wish I could, but…" she spun the mop in her paw.

"Oh, yeah. You had to do all the chores today, right?" Desmond remembered.

"But don't ya worry, one of the chores is taking the pups out to the park. So, I'll be joining you to there." She reassured, smiling.

"Oops! Spoiled your first stop, sorry." Dolly giggled.

"Don't worry, you got me more excited now. I always liked strolling in parks."

"Alright then. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a bathroom to clean." Dolly said with a frown on her face, walking past Desmond towards the bathroom, sighing before entering it.

Desmond smirked at her before going to the living room. There was a clock hooked to the wall, Desmond looked at it, seeing that it was 9:45 am.

"Got fifteen minutes, might as well take Dylan's offer." Desmond jumped on the couch, turning the TV on.

When the clock hit 10:00 am. Dylan walked into the living room, carrying a fanny pack. He gestured with his head that it was time to go. Desmond turned the TV off, jumped down from the couch and waked up to him.

"Desmond, some of my siblings said they wanted to come along. You don't mind, do you?" Dylan asked.

"No, not at all. So, who's joining?" Desmond asked, looking behind him, trying to find them.

"They're waiting at the main door. Actually… You probably haven't met them, but they've met you."

Desmond looked at him confused.

"When?"

"Last night at the table. They were just a bit shy, that's why they didn't interact with you." Dylan explained.

"Come! They want to meet you now." Dylan went out of the living room and into the hallway. Desmond followed him, exiting the room he saw four Dalmatians, three of which wore backpacks, waiting outside the main door.

"Desmond, I'd like you to meet Dawkins…" Dylan gestured towards the furthest left Dalmatian, which held a tablet. His ears were completely black and so was his tail, the spots on his cheeks resembled freckles, and he wore a blue collar with an orange tag in the shape of a molecule.

"Oh wow! You're way taller up close." Dawkins smiled, extending his paw for a handshake.

Desmond shook his paw and smiled back at him.

"Apologies for not taking part in your welcoming, yesterday, Desmond." Dawkins said, slightly embarrassed.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Desmond said, letting go of his paw.

"That's D.J…" Dylan gestured to the pup sitting next to Dawkins. His ears were black with a single white spot near the end of each ear, he wore red headphones and a red collar with a black square tag that had a white circle on it.

D.J. waved a paw and gave Desmond a small smile.

"I'm Delgado!" the pup next to D.J. exclaimed, wagging its tail. He had a pointy right ear with a small cut on it, his left ear had a black patch at its tip, the spots on his front legs had a band-like pattern, he wore a black collar with a golden tag, and used a red-colored dog wheelchair.

"Now, come on! Come on! Let's go already!" he said in a spurt, stamping his paws on the ground.

"Very energetic, I see." Desmond noted.

"Hold it, Delgado. We'll be going in a minute." Dylan rubbed his younger brother's head.

"And lastly, that's Deepak." Dylan gestured towards the furthest pup to the right who was the only of the four that didn't wear a backpack. The right side of his body was predominantly covered in black, His left front leg and right hind leg were black and right front leg and left hind leg were white, he had a black tail with a white tip, his black right ear had three white spots and it was the same for his left ear, but reversed, and wore a half-red, half-blue collar.

Desmond started walking up to Deepak to greet him when suddenly Deepak shout at him.

"STOP!" he yelled, causing Desmond to stop in place, startled.

"W-What?!" Desmond asked, alarmed.

"Look under your paw!" Deepak exclaimed, pointing at Desmond's paw that was just about to step on the ground.

Desmond moved his paw to the side, seeing a small caterpillar underneath it.

"You were going to squish it." Deepak said walking up to the caterpillar gently picking it up with his paw.

Right at that moment as Deepak was close to Desmond, he felt cozy energy flowing from him.

"What a calm and friendly aura." Deepak looked up gazing into Desmond's eyes.

"Come again?" Desmond rose an eyebrow.

"Your aura's very pleasant." Deepak gave a smile then lightly tapped Desmond's paw.

"Be more careful where you step, what if I hadn't noticed the caterpillar?" Deepak gave a serious look.

"S-Sorry…" Desmond apologized, still trying to get his head around what Deepak said.

"Umm… What do you mean? You can feel my aura?" Desmond asked, completely baffled, but more intrigued at the same time.

"Deepak here has heightened senses, you see. So, he can, to a moderate extent, feel others' auras." Dawkins explained as he walked up to Desmond.

"I've heard of animals and even humans being able to do that. It's some sort of anomaly, but it should be occurring rarely… I think." Desmond tilted his head, a bit unsure.

"It helps me get a better idea of someone's nature. Your aura doesn't lie, after all." Deepak said, walking up to Delgado.

"For example, Delgado's aura is full of energy and vitality right now."

"You don't need any special abilities to see that, Deepak." Dylan smirked.

"Alright Desmond, just one more thing before we go. Since Dolly's taking care of all the chores, I have the whole day to myself. So, I thought instead of only Camden, we could go around London too." Dylan offered.

"Oh, Yeah! I'd like that a lot! To be honest, I wanted to go visit some of London's landmarks." Desmond wagged his tail in excitement.

"But are you guys fine with such a long trip? It's probably going to take the whole day." Desmond turned his attention back at the four pups.

"Not to worry, Desmond. We're all fine with it, except for Deepak of course." Dawkins reassured him.

"Alright everyone, TO THE PARK!" Dolly shouted as she jumped out of the house, on a skateboard, over the six dogs' heads.

"BOW-WHACKA-WOW!" she yelled out, lending on the sidewalk.

A moment later she was followed by a wave of puppies rushing out the main door, running over Desmond and the others, except for Deepak, who jumped to the side.

"Great way to start off the tour, huh?" Dylan joked, standing up from the ground as did the others.

"C'mon you guys! Gonna sit there all day?" Dolly smirked, waiting on her board.

They walked down the porch stairs when Desmond noticed Deepak going back inside the house.

"Hey, Deepak! Aren't you coming?" Desmond asked a bit confused.

"Huh?! Oh, no. I just came to introduce myself. Do you have any idea how chaotic our house is? There's no way I'm missing the peaceful, tranquil atmosphere with everyone gone now." He answered.

"Not to mention that I have to find a nice bush for this little friend." He raised his paw on which the caterpillar was crawling.

"Have fun on your trip!" Deepak waved a paw at them then went back into the house.

"Didn't know you could ride a skateboard, Dolly." Desmond walked up to her.

"Hehe, now you know." She giggled then gestured with her paw for him to follow her.

The pups were waiting for them jumping up and down impatiently.

"Go on, just stick close." Dolly told them as she was riding on her board.

"Okay, big sister!" the pups exclaimed in unison and started to walk fast, close to them.

"Umm… Is Dante not going to the park?" Desmond asked, looking at the group of pups, not finding him.

"Dante likes going outside during the evening. He says he likes the ambiance of it." Dylan answered.

"Aha, I can relate." Desmond gave a small smile.

As they were walking down the street, they passed by the house where Desmond met Clarissa.

"Say, you know of a Corgi named Clarissa?" Desmond asked.

"The one whose house we're passing by?" Dolly frowned.

"Yes." He nodded.

"Yeah, we know her. The snobby little—" Dolly stopped herself, remembering that her younger siblings were listening.

"Why ask about her?" she rose an eyebrow.

"I'm asking because when she talked with me this morning, she was very fixated on my collar. It was kind of weird. Does she usually do that?" Desmond pointed at his collar.

Dylan and Dolly took a more careful look at it.

"Now that you mentioned it… The tag sure looks shinier than other gold ones I've seen." Dolly said.

"The leather seems expensive, too." Dylan added.

"Well, no wonder that was the only thing she noticed about you. That spoiled Corgi's only interested in pricey stuff. Trust me, Des, if it wasn't for your collar, she wouldn't have given you any attention." Dolly huffed.

"Yeah! Yeah! She's bad!" Dizzy and Dee Dee said in unison.

"She sure seemed unpleasant. So… I should stay away from her, then…?" Desmond asked.

"YES!" Everyone exclaimed, startling him a bit.

"…Okay." Desmond just answered as they continued walking down the street.

* * *

"And here we are!" Dylan proclaimed, gesturing towards the park's gates.

"Alright, everyone! ON A RAMPAGE!" Dolly yelled at the pups.

"BUT NOT LITERALLY!" Dylan quickly added, shouting at them.

All the pups dashed through the park's gates, Delgado along with them, outrunning them all. Dolly went in, riding on her skateboard, followed by Dylan, Desmond, and Dawkins.

"Well, what do you think?" Dylan asked Desmond as they were approaching the center of the park.

"…Nothing special, just a normal park, but I like it. It's big and from what I can see, there are a lot of places where I can just lay down and rest. Can stroll around here too, I guess." Desmond then noticed the big fountain in the middle of the park, it had a horse statue build on it.

"Now that's interesting!" Desmond walked up to it.

"What, the fountain? I guess it has a nice design. You can go cool off in it if you want." Dylan told him.

"No, no, the statue." Desmond pointed at it.

"Look at how detailed it is." Desmond walked around the fountain, examining the statue even more.

"Should we leave you two alone?" Dawkins joked.

"Very funny Dawkins." Desmond chuckled.

"THINK FAST, DES!" Dolly yelled as she threw a blue Frisbee at him.

Desmond caught it with his mouth at the last second then looked at the direction Dolly threw it from and saw a sea of pups charging at him. He quickly threw the Frisbee in a random direction. The pups instantly changed direction, chasing after it.

"Nice throw, Des! I think you covered twenty meters there!" Dolly exclaimed impressed as she rode her board towards him, stopping with a powerslide.

"I'll say! I've never seen a dog throw a flying disc that far!" Dawkins admired.

"It's my favorite game to play, after all. I've had plenty of time practicing my throw. In fact, I was the best back in my city." Desmond smirked.

"Hey, guys! Pass over the Frisbee!" Dylan yelled at the pups.

The pups ran over to their older brother, giving him the Frisbee.

"I said pass, not hand over, but okay." He smiled at them then look at Desmond.

"If that's so, I'd like to challenge you to a game of '500'!" Dylan challenged.

"I accept! But I'll let you know that I've never lost at that game. So, don't be surprised if you happen to lose." Desmond smirked in confidence.

"Oh-ho! Now it's on!" Dylan said, walking up to him, giving a competitive look.

"Haha! Count me in! If Dylan's gettin' fired-up over this, then I'm gonna play as well." Dolly exclaimed, jumping off her skateboard.

"You in, Dawkins?" She asked her little brother.

"Not a chance, Dolly. I'll just watch you from the side."

"Then keep an eye on my board, okay?" Dolly pushed her skateboard towards him.

"No problem." He took the board and headed towards a nearby tree.

"Do they know how to play?" Desmond looked at the pile of pups.

"Well… No, they don't. But don't worry, I'll quickly teach them." Dylan turned towards his siblings. He spat out the Frisbee on the ground, near him.

"Listen, everyone! Here are the rules…" Dylan said and all of the pups' ears stood up.

"One dog starts as the thrower…" Dylan gestured towards Desmond.

"The others gather around, away from the thrower…" he gestured towards himself, Dolly and them.

"The thrower then throws the Frisbee towards the group, yelling out a certain amount of points. Whoever catches the Frisbee receives that amount of points. The first to get 500 points or more wins."

"Then the winner becomes the thrower. Got it?"

"YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!" The pups shouted out in excitement.

Dylan picked up the Frisbee and tossed it to Desmond.

"Alright, follow me!" Dylan yelled, Dolly and the pups went after him as Dylan made some space between him and Desmond.

"Ready when you are, Des!" Dolly shouted out to him.

Desmond tilted his head to the side, holding the Frisbee in his mouth, then threw it at them.

"TEN POINTS!" he called out.

Everyone readied themselves for the upcoming disc. Dolly jumped high in the air catching it with her mouth.

"That's ten points for me!" Dolly announced, throwing back the disc at Desmond.

Desmond pondered for a bit about the next amount of points, then he threw it again, faster this time.

"TWENTY POINTS!" he shouted again.

Everyone jumped as high as they could to try and catch the Frisbee. Dolly was about to catch it again when Dylan jumped higher than her, catching it with his mouth.

"HAHAHA! You saw that, Dolly?" Dylan smirked at his sister.

"Pfff! You were just lucky, bro. Nice job though." Dolly said, giving him a high-five.

Dylan threw the Frisbee back to Desmond who caught it. He tilted his head to the side getting ready to throw it again.

As all of that was happening, Dawkins was laying under a tree, readying a physics book he had in his backpack, occasionally taking a look at the game.

"250 POINTS!" he yelled, throwing the disc at them.

Everyone jumped high up, trying to catch the Frisbee. Dolly was the one to catch it, spinning in the air as she did.

"YAHOO! VICTORY'S MINE!" Dolly screamed out of joy.

"Aww! But we want to play more!" Dee Dee exclaimed, giving a sad look as did all the puppies.

"Don't worry, Dee Dee, we will. Dolly's the thrower now, remember?" Dylan reassured her.

"Okay, sis, go switch with Desmond." Dylan told her. She then headed towards Desmond. He did the same, walking towards her. At the halfway point, Dolly tilted her head at Desmond getting his attention.

"You better not lose to Dylan." She joked.

"As if! He challenged me to this game, no way I'm letting him win." Desmond gazed at Dylan as he said that to her.

"That's the spirit!" She giggled, then proceeded to take her place.

As Desmond approached the group Dylan gave him a cocky smile.

"You ready?" he asked Desmond boldly.

"What? For you to lose?" Desmond smiled at Dylan as he took his' place beside him.

"Now it's personal." Dylan growl at him in a friendly manner.

"Okay, everyone here it comes!" Dolly yelled.

"FIFTY POINTS!" She shouted, throwing the disc.

Dylan and Desmond were the first to jump off the ground in an attempt to catch the Frisbee.

After half an hour of entertainment, Dawkins pulled his tablet out of the backpack. He looked at the time and saw that it was 10:48 am.

"Oh, kibbles. We're being off schedule." He noted, closing his book, putting it back in the backpack and headed towards the group of dogs.

"100 POINTS!" Dolly yelled out, throwing the disc.

Desmond and Dylan both gave each other a quick gaze, before jumping for the disc. Desmond, only a few centimeters above Dylan, tightly bit the Frisbee and landed on the ground.

"And Desmond snatches the win!" Dolly yelled, heading towards them.

"Okay, okay… You win, Desmond." Dylan patted him on the shoulder.

"But only because you were taller."

"Hehehe! Maybe. Good game though! We were pretty much even." Desmond lightly jabbed him on the shoulder.

"Dylan! Dylan! We're being late. It's near 11 am." Dawkins walked up to his older brother.

"Late?! Guess I was too invested in the game to notice." Dylan pondered.

"Delgado, D.J. come on! We're going!" he yelled to his brothers, who quickly ran over to him.

"Going already? Wished you could stay a bit longer." Dolly said.

"Sorry, Dolly, but we're being late. So we shouldn't waste any more time" Dylan told her, sternly.

"Well, okay. No need to be so serious about it." She rolled her eyes.

"I'll be staying here with the pups for another half hour." She told them.

"Have fun, you guys!" Dolly gave them a big smile.

All the pups gathered around to send them off.

"Bye, big brothers! Bye, mister Desmond!" All the pups waved their paws at them.

They waved back at the pups as they went on their way.

"DOLLY, DON'T FORGET TO THROW OUT THE TRASH!" Dylan yelled from across the park.

"OKAY, OKAY, JUST GO ALREADY!" Dolly shout back, annoyed.

"BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, KEEP AN EYE ON THE PUPS AS YOU'RE GOING BACK HOME!" Dylan yelled out, firmly.

"Don't worry, you big nanny." She murmured.

Dylan's group proceed to leave the park while Dolly and the pups began a new game of "500". Dolly stopped for a minute, pondering on a thought.

"Dylan hasn't played '500' in a long time… So why now?" she turned her head around, taking a look at her brother as he was leaving the park.

"…Oh, well." She shrugged her shoulders.

"C'mon guys, pass me the Frisbee, I'm the thrower!" Dolly yelled at her brothers and sisters as she got into position for the new game.


	3. Camden Tour, Part 2

"Here we are!" Dylan gestured with his paw. "Camden Market!"

Desmond looked around the area, seeing a vast range of stalls selling food, clothing, jewelry, books and other kinds of products.

"This place looks like it has everything." Desmond said as he goggled every stall he could find.

"Pretty much." Dawkins agreed.

D.J. nodded in agreement, still wearing his headphones, listening to music.

The whole place was filled with people walking from stand to stand, running around, buying products, riding bikes, and taking photos.

"Stick close, Desmond. You could get lost here easily, especially if you're new to the place." Dylan told him then faced towards Delgado and D.J. "That goes for you too."

"Yeah, yeah, we know. Now, come on!" Delgado spurted out, dashing in front of his older brother. "Let's go have some fun!"

Delgado sprinted towards the market with everyone following after him.

"The market's quite popular with tourists." Dylan said.

"I can see why. It's not just from all the interesting items sold here, the feeling of this place is very appealing too." Desmond's head was spinning left and right, looking all over the place. "But I'll say, there sure are a lot of people."

"Wait until the weekend, it's a whole sea then." Dylan giggled.

"Oh wow!" Desmond exclaimed, seeing a sculpture of a colorful elephant head build on top of a restaurant. "How did they build that there?!

"And those shops have shoes on them!" Desmond looked at the shoe shops next to the restaurant.

"Interesting, isn't it?" Dylan gave a smile. "There's also a buffet restaurant with a dragon on it further on." Dylan pointed down the street.

"Well, let's go see it!" Desmond eagerly exclaimed.

"Didn't think he'd be that eager." Dawkins smiled at Dylan.

Dylan just rubbed his brother's head and gestured for them to continue. As they were walking down the street filled with lots of people, they reached a crosswalk.

Dylan saw that the pedestrian traffic light was glowing green and signaled for the others to cross the road.

Desmond, being at the back of the group followed them when suddenly he halted himself before he could step on the road. Feeling as if someone was following them, he spun his head, getting a short glimpse of a figure disappearing into the crowd of people.

That made Desmond contemplate if what he saw was just imagination or not, making him completely forget that he was yet to move from the sidewalk.

At that same time as Dylan, Dawkins, Delgado, and D.J. were making their way to the other side of the road, Dylan noticed the pedestrian light changing from green to red.

"Come on everyone, quickly!" Dylan exclaimed as he started running through the crosswalk, not realizing that Desmond was still back on the sidewalk.

Dawkins, Delgado, and D.J. began running as well, but Delgado failed to notice a crack in the crosswalk, getting one of his wheels stuck in it.

"Wha…? Oh, come on." He murmured to himself, trying to get his wheel out of the crack.

Desmond heard Dylan when he told everyone to hasten their speed. So, Desmond turned his attention back at them, only to see Delgado being stuck in the middle of the road.

At the same time, Dylan and his other brothers made it to the other sidewalk when a speeding car began approaching the crosswalk. As the driver saw the little pup on the road, he honked on his horn, trying to get him to move out of the way, but Delgado's wheel was firmly stuck in the crack.

Delgado, upon hearing the horn, jolted in alarm. He began panicking as he despairingly tried to get his wheel out.

"Dylan! DYLAN!" He shouted to his older brother, his voice cracking in panic.

Delgado's scream instantly grabbed the attention of Dylan and the others, who turned around seeing him stuck in the middle of the crosswalk. The driver of the quickly approaching car hit the brakes to try and stop the vehicle, but the gathered momentum made the car continue moving towards Delgado.

"DELGADO!" Dylan shouted, his heart beating like crazy in panic as he was about sprint towards his brother.

Everything went in slow motion for Delgado as his whole body froze in terror from the approaching car.

Out of nowhere, in a sprint, Desmond grabbed Delgado by the collar with his mouth, pulling him out of the crack and getting him and himself out of the car's way, centimeters separating them from the vehicle. Desmond didn't halt for a second, he continued sprinting to the other side of the road where Dawkins and D.J. were, their faces filled with shock at Dylan as he began sprinting towards them.

Desmond quickened his pace when he saw another car approaching Dylan. He collided into him, knocking him back to the sidewalk as he and Delgado crashed onto it as well.

Dylan stood up, quickly running to his little brother's side. "Delgado?! Delgado!?"

"Little brother, come on! Pull yourself together!" Dylan began shaking his frightened brother, trying to get him to speak.

"Your whole body's shivering!" Dylan felt as he was shaking his brother.

He embraced Delgado and gently started caressing him. "It's fine, you're safe now… Calm down."

Desmond stood himself up and shook his head.

"Is he alright?" he asked concerned. "He didn't get hurt, did he?"

Dylan started to inspect Delgado, looking carefully at every centimeter of his brother's shivering body. "Thankfully no…"

"Come on! We need to get him someplace to rest." Dawkins walked up to them along with D.J. worried.

"Yeah, right. Alright." Dylan agreed as he let Delgado go then looked him in the eyes. "Can you move?"

Delgado slowly nodded his head.

"Come on then." Dylan gently put a paw on Delgado's back and started lightly petting him.

They all started walking further into the market, trying to find some quiet place for Delgado to rest.

"Thank you, Desmond." Dylan looked him in the eyes.

"Don't mention it, Dylan. Let's just be grateful that I was still back on the sidewalk and not with you.

"Because I don't think you would have made it in time." Desmond gave him a serious look.

Dylan pulled Delgado closer to him when he heard that.

"Sorry! Didn't mean to upset you." Desmond looked to the other side.

"You're right though… So I'm thankful that you were there." Dylan gave him a small smile.

"Ye… Yeah, thanks, Desmond." Delgado murmured out, still a bit in shock.

"Are you feeling better now?" Dylan rubbed his brother's back gently.

"Y-Yeah… Yeah." Delgado replied.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Desmond asked. "Back there, why did you stop in the middle of the road?"

"My wheel got stuck in a crack and I couldn't pull it out." Delgado explained, then he looked at Desmond. "But… Why were you still behind?"

Dylan rose an eyebrow at Desmond. "Yeah, I also want to know."

"…Well, It looked as if...

"I just thought I saw something, that's all." Desmond answered as he turned his head back, looking around.

"Well, there's nothing there." Dylan turned around as well, checking behind them. "Must have just been your imagination?"

"I guess." Desmond agreed.

"There." Dawkins pointed to a small alleyway. "Let's let him rest there."

They went into the alleyway, Dylan and his brothers started calming Delgado down. Desmond sat next to them, raising his ears, trying to see if he could catch any kind of unusual noises.

After a couple of minutes, Delgado inhaled and exhaled then he turned to Dylan. "Okay, let's continue."

"You sure?" Dylan asked him with a worried look.

"I'm fine!" Delgado smirked at him as he tapped on the ground. "Good to go, really!"

"Quick to recover, huh?" Desmond padded his head. "Well, you heard him, guys."

Dawkins and D.J. smiled while Dylan exhaled in relief.

"But… Umm… Could we leave the part where I almost got ran over by a car out?" Delgado made an awkward smile. "I don't wanna worry mom and dad."

"Since you're all fine, I guess we could." Dylan pondered for a bit. "Though you know how I feel about lying."

They all went out of the alleyway and continued through the market. As they were walking, Delgado's stomach suddenly started growling.

"Hey, guys. You think we could go get something to eat." The pup tapped on the ground with his paw. "All that action made me work up an appetite."

"Good idea, Delgado. It's almost noon anyway, might as well get something in our stomachs." Dawkins agreed with his brother.

"Alright then, let's go eat!" Desmond exclaimed. "My treat."

Everyone's ears perked up, except Dylan's. "Oh no, Desmond. That's quite kind of you, but I can't have you pay—"

"Dylan! Please. You're giving me a tour here, I owe you lunch at least."

"…Okay, fine." Dylan rubbed his head. "But nothing too expensive."

"Sweet, free food!" Delgado exclaimed. "You're awesome, Desmond."

Desmond gave out a little chuckle.

"There's a couple of food stalls further on." Dawkins said then all of them continued walking down the street.

"Oh yeah! By the way, back there, you were so fast when you grabbed me and sprinted through the crosswalk." Delgado started wagging his tail. "You were like a bullet!"

"Well now…" Desmond petted Delgado on the head. "I can't be like a snail at a situation like that."

"We should race sometime." Delgado gave him and eager look. "How about it?!"

"We'll see." Desmond grinned at him.

"Hey! There's that dragon you were talking about, Dylan." Desmond pointed to a dragon sculpture colored in black and orange on top of a restaurant. "Ha! And look at that, next to it there's a big scorpion on top of the shop."

"You've guessed the shop's name too." Dylan giggled.

"There's so many clothes shops and stalls here." Desmond looked to his left then right. "Mind if I take a quick look."

"Not at all, go ahead. We'll wait." Dylan told him.

Desmond quickly went into one of the clothes shops. A minute later he came out wearing a sapphire-blue skipper cap with the Union Jack flag printed on the side.

"Oh, hey! Not bad. That looks pretty good on you." Dylan complimented.

"You think so? I thought it might look a bit dumb, but I liked it too much not to buy it." Desmond adjusted the cap.

"It fits you nicely Desmond, don't worry about it." Dawkins reassured.

"Thanks, guys!" Desmond smiled at them.

"Okay, yeah, it looks great on you. Now come on! I'm starving." Delgado spurt out, thumping on the ground impatiently.

They continued walking until they reached a small bridge. The view from the bridge was so charming that Desmond couldn't help but stop himself for a moment. Taking some time to enjoy the eye-catching landscape. Delgado sighed in annoyance, tapping fiercely on the ground. The others ignored him, letting Desmond enjoy the view.

After a few minutes, tough to Delgado they felt like hours, they continued through the bridge, until they reached the food stalls. After everyone got something to eat by virtue of Desmond. The dogs resumed their trip.

As they walked for a while trough the market, they arrived in an area filled with an ocean of people, it was so crowded that the only thing the dogs could see was legs moving left and right.

"Now listen and listen well!" Dylan sternly said to all of them, stomping hard with his paw. "Stick close together. Desmond, no stopping in your tracks until we're out of that crowd. Delgado and D.J. walk in front of me so that I can keep an eye on you."

As told, Delgado and D.J went in front of their older brother. Desmond to the back. The only one Dylan didn't order around was Dawkins, since Dylan knew he could trust him.

Moving through the crowd of people was very hard and slow, but everybody had to bear with it. Dylan took quick looks at Desmond from time to time, checking if he was still following while he also monitored the two pups in front of him. With each step it seemed like the crowd of people increased more and more, to the point of which Dylan was having a really hard time monitoring everyone.

Just then, Desmond heard a faint tinkling noise which made his ears perk up. He looked around his surroundings, trying to find the source of the sound, but it was very hard to even see anything past his muzzle from the huge crowd.

"Did any of you hear that?" Desmond asked, slightly alarmed. "A ringing noise, I think—"

"Not now, Desmond. Wait until we're out of the crowd and don't pause like last time!" Dylan told him sternly. "Dawkins bite my tail, D.J. bite Delgado's tail and I'll bite your tail. We'll make a chain. Like that no one's going to get lost."

"Desmond you do the same!" Dylan told him. His eyes still focused on the pups.

They all did as Dylan ordered, they were still moving at a slow pace, but at least now they didn't have to worry about losing each other. After what felt like an eternity, the dogs finally made it out of the crowd.

"That was awful, I hate it when that happens!" Delgado spurted out.

"You can let go of my tail now." He turned to D.J.

D.J. released Delgado's tail, Dylan and Dawkins did the same.

"You can say that again, it so very unpleasant." Dawkins agreed with his younger brother.

D.J. turned his head back, then he gestured to his brothers to look behind them.

"Ah! Where's Desmond?!" Dylan exclaimed. "He was supposed to be behind you Dawkins, didn't he bite your tail?"

"Now that you mention it, I didn't felt him biting it." Dawkins rubbed his cheek in thought.

* * *

"Is this crowd ever going to end?!" Desmond said, very vexed. Pushing himself through the crowd, he finally made it out.

"Well, that took forever…" He said annoyed. "Won't you agree, Dylan…?"

"Dylan…?!" Desmond said agitatedly. He started looking around the area. "D-Dawkins?!"

"Where did they go?" He started sweating. "Did I… Did I lose them in the crowd?"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Desmond yelled in irritation. "How am I supposed to find them now?!"

"I could help with that." A voice behind him offered.

Desmond spun around, jolting a little as he saw a cat that wore a dark red collar with a small bell on it sitting behind him, licking his paw.

"Who are you?" Desmond asked cautiously, keeping some distance from the cat.

"Desmond Dots, right?" The cat said, surprising Desmond, making him more nerves.

"No need to be so alarmed." The cat stood up.

"Come with me, I'd like to have a word with you." He said as he started walking towards a nearby bridge. Desmond was feeling reluctant to follow the cat, but he was too curious about the cat's knowledge of his name and so, he followed the cat, staring with caution right at him as he did.


	4. Camden Tour, Part 3

"Alright, alright! Don't panic, we just need to find Desmond." Dylan exclaimed as his whole body began to sweat. "He probably got lost in the crowd."

"I say we should split and search, it will be the fastest way to find him." Delgado suggested, readying himself to go.

"What do you think, D.J.?" he asked his brother.

"Oh, no, no, no! We are not splitting!" Dylan protested sternly. "We are going to find him together!"

 _He couldn't be too far._ Dawkins thought to himself. "Taking to account that it took us around two minutes to walk through the crowd, I think… Desmond should be approximately… 100 to 200 meters within this area."

Delgado and D.J. were looking at him with confused faces, with Dylan being the only one who understood his brother.

"He's close then, right?" Dylan asked.

"Yes. He should be, though that could change if Desmond decides to try and find us, himself." Dawkins looked around his surroundings then locked eyes with his brother again. "He could get closer or farther away from us, it depends. I'm wondering if he could just be sitting tight in one place, waiting for us to find him… I'm hoping it's that."

"Ay, ay, ay…! My head is starting to hurt from all this." Delgado rubbed his head. "Just say it normally, bro!"

"Desmond is close by." Dawkins said with Indifference.

"Okay, so, he's somewhere close, but that could be anywhere. We have to find where exactly he is." Dylan specified.

"Well, I can't tell you that." Dawkins exhaled. "The only thing we can do is try to find him before he goes further into the market and completely gets himself lost."

"We can also ask if someone has seen him." Delgado added.

"Then let's not waste any more time. Come on!" Dylan and his brothers began running around the area in search of Desmond. Asking every dog and cat if they've hopefully seen him.

* * *

As Desmond was slowly walking behind the cat, following it, and closely examining it, he noticed that the cat had no fur whatsoever. Instead, its whole body was covered in a wrinkled, pinkish layer of skin; it had long sharp ears and lacked any kind of whiskers.

 _A Sphynx cat?_ He thought to himself.

Upon further inspection, Desmond could make out a gray patch that covered both the cat's left eye and ear. And a small golden bell around the cat's neck that tinkled with each step the cat made.

When they reached the small bridge, the cat jumped onto the bridge's parapet, to get a better view of the tall dog. As he was jumping onto it, the cat felt a slight nudge at its neck, but he quickly dismissed it.

"…What's up with the bandages?" the cat pointed at them.

"A small accident, that's all." Desmond replied.

"That so…? Well, Desmond… Didn't think you'd be this tall." The cat noted. "How old are you?"

Desmond gave him an incredulous look as he slowly moved closer to the furless cat.

"Come now. I'm just being curious, that's all." The cat reassured.

"Seventeen." Desmond answered.

"What?!" The cat exclaimed in disbelief. "Hahaha! I didn't think she'd send a pup to do the job. Honestly, you look older than you say, especially with how tall you are."

"Aren't you… that kid's cat?" Desmond pondered. "Mister Cuddles, was it?"

"Please, don't refer to me with that absurd name." The furless cat frowned. "Though the boss' nephew calls me by it, that's not my real name."

"The name's Slade." He looked down at Desmond.

"I wanted to see how things were going." He added.

"Slade… Should I take it you were the one who stalked us then?" Desmond gave him a serious look.

"I was just trying to find a way to get you alone so that we could talk." Slade smirked at him. "Wouldn't want to blow your cover in front of them, now would we?"

"Fair enough." Desmond agreed. "But I'm a little lost as you can see, I'm more concern about finding my way back to them than talking to you."

"Don't worry. Didn't you hear me? I said I'd help you find them." Slade licked his paw. "But again, after we have a quick talk."

"…Fine. What is it that you want to talk about? If it's about how the mission's going, it's going well." Desmond sat down. "They've already invited me into their home and from the looks of it, they like me, though I'm not sure how much they trust me."

"Sounds good to me." The furless cat laid on the parapet.

"Now, tell me how to find them." Desmond demanded.

"Not so fast!" Slade laid his head on his paws. "Yes, I wanted to know how your mission was going, but there's one more thing I wanted to talk about."

Desmond tilted his head in confusion. "And what's that?"

* * *

As Dylan and his brothers were searching for Desmond, they also stopped to ask here and there about him.

"Excuse me, miss!" Dylan said to a female Gordon Setter who was walking along with her human through the market.

"Yes. Can I help you?" She asked.

"Have you seen a Dalmatian pass around here recently?"

"He's about a head taller than me, his tail is fully black, and wears a red collar like mine."

"A crimson red collar." Dawkins corrected.

The Setter pondered for a moment. "No, I don't think I've seen a dog like that around here. Sorry, sweetheart."

"Is he lost?" She asked.

"Yeah, we lost him in a crowed a couple of minutes ago." Dylan said.

"Fifteen minutes ago to be exact." Dawkins specified.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you find your friend soon." The Setter gave them an encouraging smile before her human pulled her into a shop.

"We've asked anyone we could find and none of them have seen Desmond. Plus, we've searched every shop, street, alleyway…" Dylan put a paw on his forehead, discouraged.

Just then Delgado and D.J. who were nearby, asking around as well, ran towards their oldest brother.

"Dylan, I think we found someone who can help us!" Delgado spurted, gesturing towards an old male Border Collie. "Right mister?"

"Indeed. I think I've seen the dog you're talking about." The old dog told them.

Dylan's tail began wagging left and right in excitement.

"Where?" Dylan asked elatedly. "Where have you seen him?!"

"At the end of the street to the left, there is a small bridge. While I was passing on that bridge I saw a Dalmatian that fit your description." The Collie said.

"It also seemed like he was talking to a cat." He added.

"A cat?" Dawkins wondered. "What ca—"

"Who cares, we found Desmond." Dylan interrupted his younger brother. "Let's go!"

"Oh, yeah! Thank you very much for helping us, sir." Dylan tanked the Collie in a rush.

"You're welcome, lads." The old dog smiled at them. As Dylan and his brothers began rushing towards the bridge.

* * *

"Just a small favor." Slade stood up. "It's an easy job, really."

"And I should do you this favor because…?" Desmond rose an eyebrow.

"Because you can gain something in return." The cat tilted an ear.

"And that is?" Desmond's ears perked up as he stood on his hind legs, propping up on the parapet, closer to Slade.

"First… This favor requires you to be stealthy and silent…" Slade explained. "So, before I tell you what you'll gain from it, I need to know if you're capable of doing this little job of mine."

Desmond landed himself back on the ground and sat on it.

"Shake your head." He told the cat.

Slade looked at him with confusion but did as Desmond asked.

"And?" Slade said, unamused. "What was the point of that?"

"Aren't you missing something?" Desmond clarified, pointing to his own collar's golden tag.

The furless cat pondered for a moment, trying to understand what the tall dog was saying. Slade shook his head again, then he noticed what it was that he was missing. The tinkling from his bell was gone. Slade put a paw on his collar, realizing that his golden bell was gone.

He then quickly turned his attention back at Desmond, with a bit of nervousness on his face.

Desmond spat out the small bell from his mouth on the ground. "I took it while you were jumping onto the parapet. It was hard talking while hiding it under my tongue, though. I'll tell you that."

"So, that nudge earlier… was you taking my bell?" the cat figured as he jumped off the parapet.

"Just like a cat." Slade giggled.

"What do you think?" Desmond gave him a cocky smirk.

"Hehehe—Hahahaha! Yes, you won't have any problems at all." Slade laughed in amusement. "Alright, I'll tell you. But first, tell me this... What were you planning on doing with my bell? You didn't honestly snatch it away just to impress me, did you?"

"Well, first… I took it because its ringing annoyed me." The tall dog said then he made a serious look. "But I mainly took it because if you happened to be any kind of nuisance, I would be able to track you by your scent on the bell."

Slade jolted slightly as he looked at Desmond a bit surprised. _What an odd kid…_

"…Okay, I'll tell you." He repeated, dismissing Desmond's statement as an empty threat.

"I have information about the Dalmatians that'll ease your mission." Slade then started to circle around Desmond. "Well…? What do you say?"

Desmond thought about it, scratching on the ground with his paw without realizing it.

As Desmond pondered on the offer, Slade walked behind him, at that moment Desmond spun his head to give the cat his answer, just to see him gone.

 _...?! He was just behind me. Where did—_ Desmond thought when he suddenly felt a light breeze flowing through the fur on his head.

"Nice cap, by the way." Slade walked in front of him, wearing the skipper cap. Desmond quickly turned his head at the furless cat, sweating a little from the sight.

"… Like a cat, huh?" Desmond made a nervous smile.

Slade grinned at him as he gave Desmond back his cap.

"You can have it back." Desmond rolled the small bell towards the furless cat.

"Keep it." Slade rolled it back to Desmond. "I prefer my bells to be saliva free."

Desmond shoved the bell off the bridge.

"Fine, I'm in." Desmond put his cap back on. "So, what's it you want?"

"No need to rush. I'll tell you when it's appropriate, it's still too early." Slade told him. "You just enjoy your time in London until then."

"If you say so, then so be it. However…" Desmond gave him a forbidding stare. "If you think about screwing me over, even for a second… I won't hesitate to bite your tail off."

"Hey now…! Where did this aggression come from?" Slade backed away a bit from the tall dog. "We're from the same side, you and I. You can trust me."

"We'll see how much I can trust you." Desmond said with a slight frown.

"DESMOND! HEY, DESMOND!" Dylan yelled from afar, seeing the tall dog as he and his brothers ran towards the bridge.

"Seems like they found you themselves." Slade snickered. "Lucky you!"

"Get out of here before they see you!" Desmond worried.

"I was about to."

"Oh! And I'll find you when the time comes." The cat added. "See you soon."

Slade then quickly ran into a nearby crowd, completely out of sight. Desmond looked at the direction Slade ran off to, pondering on what he agreed on.

"Desmond!" Dylan and his brothers reached the tall dog.

"Oh! I'm so glad we managed to find you!" Dylan put his paw on Desmond's shoulders. "You didn't get scared, did you?"

"No, I didn't, Dylan. Calm down." Desmond gave him a reassuring smile then giggled.

"Who was that cat?" Dawkins asked, pointing at the direction the cat went.

"I asked around if someone has seen a group of Dalmatians. I was just asking him if he happened to see you somewhere around here." Desmond explained.

"That old Collie was right, after all!" Delgado exclaimed in happiness. "Glad to see you again, Desmond!"

"Glad to see you too!" he rubbed Delgado's head. "You said something about a Collie?"

"Uh-huh! He told us where you were." Delgado told him. D.J. nodded in agreement.

"You shouldn't get yourself lost like that, Dylan was worried sick about you." Delgado added.

Desmond turned his attention at Dylan. "You were?"

Dylan let go of Desmond's shoulders and sat on the ground near him. "Well, yeah! I mean… Who knows what could have happened to you."

Desmond put a paw around Dylan's shoulders, hugging him.

"Thanks, Dylan!" Desmond smiled at him as Dylan blushed a bit.

Dylan's younger brothers began to somewhat chuckle from seeing their older brother blushing out. Dylan frowned at them as Desmond let Dylan go from the hug.

"Ahem!" Dylan cleared his throat, dragging everyone's attention to him. "Alright, since it seems everything's back to normal, I suggest we continue the tour."

"Shall we go around London, then?" Dawkins asked.

Dylan nodded with his head in agreement. "So, Desmond, which landmark would you like to visit first?"

"… Umm… Well… Oh, that's right! I want to go see the Buckingham Palace first!" Desmond said, wagging his tail in excitement.

"As you wish!" Dylan smiled at him. "We'll just take a bus from Camden High Street and be there in around twenty minutes."

"Oh! If we're going to take a bus… Can it be a double-decker one?" Desmond asked with a bit of eagerness in his voice.

"Of course, we wouldn't have it any other way!" Dylan reassured with a smirk.

With that, the dogs made their way to a nearby bus stop on Camden High St. waiting for the bus to arrive. As everyone patiently waited, except for Delgado who was spinning in circles around the bus stop and Desmond who was constantly checking for the bus with eagerness, a red, two-storey bus appeared in the distance.

"There it is!" Desmond happily exclaimed.

When the bus arrived all the dogs got on it, except for Desmond, who got an unpleasant hunch that someone was monitoring him, making him look around for a moment.

"Get on, Desmond! Or we're leaving without you!" Dylan joked.

"Yeah, yeah! I'm coming!" Desmond said as he quickly jumped on the bus before the doors closed.

As the bus was leaving the stop, a figure from above, on a building was closely watching it.

"… An odd fella, indeed…" The figure giggled, then reached to the collar on its neck. "Better get a new bell. I'm already missing its delightful tinkle."

* * *

"Top or bottom deck?" Dylan asked Desmond.

"Top, of course!" Desmond exclaimed. "It'd be a waste if we didn't use the top one."

They then went up to the second floor of the bus. Luckily for them, there weren't many people on the top floor and the small number of people that were there, didn't pay much attention to the dogs, so they were able to choose wherever they wanted to sit.

Dylan and Delgado sat on one seat, Dawkins and D.J. sat right behind them and Desmond sat right behind Dawkins and D.J.

Delgado noticed that all the windows were opened, so he tapped his older brother on the shoulder, Dylan knew what his brother meant by that and held him as Delgado stuck his head out the window and let his tongue hang out.

D.J. saw his brother sticking his tongue through the window and jabbed Dawkins on the side, getting his attention then pointed at Delgado.

"Want to do it too?" Dawkins asked his younger brother to which D.J. nodded in agreement as his tail began wagging left and right.

Dawkins held his brother as D.J. proceeded to stick his head out and let the wind blow through the fur on his face. Dylan then turned at Dawkins as he gestured with his head for them to join their brothers.

Dawkins twitched his head towards the opened window, gesturing for Dylan to go first. Dylan joined Delgado, sticking his tongue out then looked at Dawkins as he rose his eyebrows repeatedly in a smug manner. Dawkins chuckled at that, then he stuck his head out the window as well. Dawkins contemplated if he wanted to stick his tongue out or not but then decided to do so.

Desmond was watching them the whole time with a bit of confusion from their actions.

"Um… Guys! Don't you think that's a bit… Inappropriate?" Desmond asked, tilting his head as he gazed at the dogs.

Delgado looked back at Desmond then moved his head back into the bus. "What?! Come on, Desmond. Don't tell me you haven't done it."

"Well… No, I was taught that it was a bad thing to do." Desmond looked at Dylan, then to Dawkins and D.J. "Didn't… Didn't your parents told you the same?"

"Whaaa! Why would it be bad…?" Delgado gave him a confused look. "Come on just try it! I promise you'll like it!"

Delgado then shoved his head back out the window. Desmond looked to the opened window to his side, pondering for a bit, but decided to go along with it. He stuck his head out, instantly feeling a strong gust of wind that blew in his face which made Desmond shiver, making him quickly retreat his head back into the bus.

He frowned at the window as he puffed at it as well. Desmond looked at Delgado then to Dylan then back at Delgado and to Dawkins and D.J. As he saw how much they were enjoying it, he decided to give it another try.

Sticking his head out again, Desmond beard with the strong wind hitting him in the face and soon, he got used to it. Desmond then began copying Dylan and Delgado, slowly sticking his tongue out until it was fully hanging out from his mouth.

"Hey…! Haha! This… feels pretty good!" Desmond grinned in joy, then proceeded to extend his head even further out the window. "WOOHOOOO! This is amazing! HAHA!"


	5. Return That Bone

"Closed?!" Desmond exclaimed in surprise and annoyance. "What do you mean it's closed?"

"So sorry, Desmond, but it says here that the palace will be closed for the day, due to some unexpected issues." Dylan pointed at a sign, put on the front gates of the Buckingham Palace.

"A pity really…" Dawkins said. "The interior of the palace is quite impressive. I was almost certain that it would've been your favorite landmark to visit, Desmond."

"Huuu..." Desmond sighed in disappointment, then looked up at the palace. "Well… At least… I got to see the palace. Even if it's just behind the gates."

Dylan looked at Desmond with a sad face, then looked to his left, when a thought occurred to him.

"… Hey, Desmond." He tapped him on the shoulder. "There's a natural history museum nearby. If you want, we could go there."

"Great idea, Dylan." Dawkins noted. "Desmond, I'm sure you'll like it."

"… Well… I haven't been to a natural history museum before." Desmond thought for a bit then gave Dylan and Dawkins a smile. "Sure, that sounds good. Let's go check it out."

"Well, at least it's full of cool animals." Delgado said.

"The museum is a few blocks that way." Dylan pointed at the distance. "Not too far."

The dogs then headed towards the museum and not after much time they reached the museum's entrance. But before they entered, Dylan turned to Delgado and D.J.

"Listen up you two." Dylan said with a stern tone. "You know what's inside this museum, right?"

"Uhhh…" Delgado pondered. "… Bones…?"

"Fossils, but yes." Dylan nodded. "I don't want to see you chewing or nibbling on them, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Delgado sighed as he dropped his ears. D.J. put a paw on his back and rubbed him in an attempt to cheer him up.

They entered into the museum, and immediately, Desmond's eye widened in awe as he saw a giant skeleton of a prehistoric animal hung to the ceiling.

"Is that a whale…?" Desmond asked, his eyes still glowed to the massive skeleton above him.

"Hehe. Seems like one, huh?" Dylan said, humored. "But that's actually a _Mosasaurus_."

"A what-saurus?" Desmond turned his attention towards Dylan, puzzled. "Is it a dinosaur then?"

"It's Mosasaurus, and yes, it is a dinosaur." He nodded. "A very impressive one at that."

"Didn't dinosaurs walk only on land?" Desmond rubbed his head. "This one looks like it swam in the water."

Dylan looked at Desmond confused. "There are aquatic dinosaurs too, not only terrestrial, Desmond. Don't you know that?"

"… No, I've only watched a few movies about dinosaurs and in them, all the dinosaurs walked on land." Desmond said then thought for a bit. "Does that mean that there are aerial dinosaurs too?"

"Uh-huh, there are." Dylan confirmed. "You ever heard of _Pterosaurs_?"

"No." Desmond said, a bit embarrassed.

Dylan bumped him on the side. "Hey! Don't worry, I don't expect you to know everything about them."

"Here, come with me." Dylan twitched his head towards a staircase leading to a second floor.

"Dawkins, I'll go show some of the dinosaurs to Desmond. I can count on you to keep an eye on Delgado and D.J., right?" Dylan said to his brother as he and Desmond were climbing the stairs.

"Sure. Delgado wanted to go see the big cats anyway." Dawkins told him.

"Come on, come on!" Delgado was pulling Dawkins by his tail in haste. "I wanna go see the cheetah!"

"Okay, okay! Stop pulling my tail, you're going to rip it off." Dawkins told his younger brother in annoyance.

D.J. giggled slightly, amused by Delgado's impatience.

Dylan and Desmond then continued to climb the stairs. When they reached the top, Dylan paused for a moment, pondering on a thought as he looked to his left then right.

 _Where was it…?_ He thought then remembered. "Ah, yeah, yeah. This way, Desmond."

Dylan, followed by Desmond, walked into a nearby room where there were a dozen skeletons of pterosaurs displayed.

"Oh, wow!" Desmond exclaimed, surprised. "They all look really cool."

"Yeah, they do look cool, but we didn't come here for them." Dylan specified as he sat on the floor.

"Then… What?" Desmond asked, puzzled.

Dylan raised his head up, gesturing for Desmond to look above him. Desmond looked up and saw the skeleton of a giant pterosaur hung to the ceiling of the room, which made him jolt slightly in shock.

"JEEZ…! That's… That's one big pterosaur…" Desmond exclaimed, surprised by the skeleton's size.

"Hehe!" Dylan chuckled from Desmond's reaction. "This is what we came to see."

"It's called a _Quetzalcoatlus_." Dylan told him.

"A big guy, Huh?" Desmond looked at it more closely. "Qetza… How did you call it… Qetza… Clus…?"

"Quetzalcoatlus." Dylan repeated. "Got it now?"

"Quetzalocus…" Desmond struggled out in saying the name.

"Repeat after me!" Dylan turned to him. "Que…"

"Que…" Desmond began repeating after him.

"… Tzal…"

"… Tzal…"

"… Coa…" Dylan started giggling from the funny faces Desmond made as he was repeating after him.

"… Coa…"

"… Tlus." Dylan finished.

"… Tlus."

"Now say it." Dylan told him as Desmond looked at him, a bit nervous. "Come on, I'm not going to laugh if say it wrong."

"Quetzal… C-Coatlus… Quetzalcoatlus!" Desmond finally said the name correctly.

"There you go!" Dylan smiled then patted him on the back. "Wasn't that hard, was it?"

"Dolly can't even say half the name without twisting her tongue." Dylan giggled.

"So, what can you tell me about it?" Desmond pointed at the skeleton with interest.

"Well, it is one of the largest flying animals to have ever lived. And I'm sure you've noticed its huge wingspan, right?" Dylan said.

"Yeah. It still creeps me out a little." Desmond shivered.

"It's ten meters in length, but it's estimated that it could also reach twelve meters. Its body length is six meters which makes him as big as a light aircraft."

"Very impressive!" Desmond exclaimed, then looked at the creature's neck. "I have a question, why is its neck so long? It resembles a Giraffe's."

"Could be for intimidation purposes as it makes him very tall. It could be to see danger from far as well, with that neck he could probably see predators coming from a kilometer away." Dylan shrugged his shoulders.

"Sounds like you're not sure yourself, huh?" Desmond smirked.

"Well, I can't know everything." Dylan smirked back.

"Alright, if you're done admiring him, we can move on to another dinosaur." He looked at Desmond. "I think the next one you know well enough."

"Oh?" Desmond rose an eyebrow, intrigued. "And what could that dinosaur be?"

"Follow me and you'll see." Dylan told him as he went out of the room towards another one, with Desmond following right behind him.

* * *

"ROAR! ROAR! Haha!" Delgado was shouting towards a model of a cheetah as he was stumping on the floor. "Hey, bro, you think I can beat him in a race?"

"Highly unlikely." Dawkins answered him with indifference. "The cheetah can reach speeds up to 120 kilometers per hour, Delgado. A Dalmatian's top speed is 60 kilometers per hour. As you can see, the cheetah is twice as fast as us."

Delgado frowned at his older brother in annoyance and scoff off to another model of an animal.

"Aww, come on, Delgado, I'm just stating facts." Dawkins followed him.

"You know you're still the cheetah in our family, right?" He rubbed Delgado on the head then gave him a small smile.

Delgado couldn't help but smirk a little from his brother's statement.

"Maybe after you grow up, you'll get to be the fastest Dalmatian in the world."

"Fast enough to beat a cheetah?!" Delgado began wagging his tail.

"Well… Umm…" Dawkins made an awkward face then looked left and right, trying to find something that would change the subject.

"H-Hey, look at that!" Dawkins pointed towards a large skeleton of a mammal.

Delgado looked at the skeleton and jumped in awe. "Oh, wow! What's that thing?!"

D.J. was sitting in front of the same skeleton Dawkins pointed to and was foot-tapping on the ground, listening to his music. Delgado ran next to him, followed by Dawkins, and gazed at the massive skeleton.

"Ah! _Paraceratherium transouralicum_. The biggest mammal to have walked the Earth." Dawkins looked at it as well. "A fine choice, D.J."

Delgado turned to D.J. and tapped him by the shoulder. "Try saying that three times faster… Paraceretiom, Persererium, Tranzulium… Hehehe!"

D.J. let out a small giggle when he saw the funny expressions his brother was making as he tried saying the name.

"If you're done butchering its name, Delgado…" Dawkins sat next to his younger brothers and lowered his head to their level. "Would you like to guess who this big guy's related to?"

D.J. smirked and nudge Delgado by the side, getting his attention. Delgado looked at his brother who was pointing to a model of an African elephant, tipping him off.

"Thanks, bro." Delgado murmured out, then confidently answered to his older brother. "It's the elephant of course!"

"Hehe… Wrong." Dawkins grinned at him. "Aaah, how I knew you'd say that."

He then turned to his other brother. "D.J. I appreciate you trying to help him out, but I want Delgado to try and guess himself."

D.J. quickly jolted his head to the other side, blushing a little from embarrassment.

"What do you mean 'wrong'?" Delgado frowned, confused. "Look at it, it looks like an elephant."

"Yes, I know it could seem that way." Dawkins giggled. "That's why I was so sure you'd get it wrong, but actually…"

Dawkins gestured with his paw towards the Paraceratherium, then he slowly began to move his paw across the room. "You'll be surprised to hear that he's related to that big guy over there."

Dawkins's paw stopped towards a model of a White rhinoceros.

"A rhino?!" Delgado exclaimed in surprise. D.J. broadened his eyebrows in surprise as well.

"You're telling me that this Parazeritirum's the great-great-great-great-a million times great, great-granddad of the rhino?!" Delgado exclaimed in disbelieve.

"Not an ancestor, Delgado. He's from the same family tree as the rhinoceros." Dawkins patted him on the head. "Got it? He's just from the same family."

"And what's that family?" Delgado rose an eyebrow, intrigued.

"The _Rhinocerotoidea_." Dawkins answered him. "More specifically the _Hyracodontidae_ , thought that family tree is extinct."

"Oh! Why are these names so long and hard to pronounce?!" Delgado began stomping on the floor, flustered. "How do you even remember them?"

"Well… It's not that hard, you just need to practice saying them more."

"Oh, yeah. Easy for you to say, Mister Big brain." Delgado chuckled to himself as he said that.

"… ?!... Oh, you…" Dawkins smirked a little as he rubbed his forehead. He then looked over to his other brother. "Hey, where did D.J. go?"

* * *

"Ta-da~!" Dylan exclaimed, gesturing with his paw towards the skeleton of a giant carnivorous dinosaur.

"Ahh! The T-rex!" Desmond recognized the large creature. "King of the dinosaurs."

"Who doesn't know the _Tyrannosaurus rex_ , ah?" Dylan laughed out. "He's one of the most famous dinosaurs, after all."

"You don't have to tell me anything about him." Desmond started to circle the big skeleton. "I already know everything there is to know."

"Like?" Dylan sat down.

"Well… I know that if you stay still, without moving a muscle…" Desmond froze in place to emphasize. "The T-rex can't see you, even if you're right in front of him."

Dylan gave a quizzical expression and began giggling. "Really, Desmond?"

"What?" Desmond walked up to him. "I saw that once in a movie."

Desmond started scratching the ground, slightly abashed. "Am… Am I wrong?"

"Well, you aren't right." Dylan said. "If the T-rex couldn't see anything that didn't move in front of him, don't you think he'd bump into every tree, or trip onto every rock he came across?"

"… I guess so." Desmond stroked the side of his head.

"In actuality, the T-rex had excellent vision, Desmond."

"I see… So, you're saying that if this guy was alive, standing frozen right in front of him would be a death wish?"

"Pretty much, yes."

Desmond turned his attention to the maw of the giant carnivore and took a close look at it. As he did, he noticed the huge serrated teeth the creature had which made the fur on his body stand in unease. "… How big are those fangs?"

"Around 30 centimeters."

"Oh-ho~!" Desmond nervously murmured.

"Though, I'd be more wary of his bite force." Dylan grinned at Desmond, showing off his canine fangs.

"The Rex's jaws could deliver an amazing six and a half tons of pressure when it snapped down on its prey." Dylan started slowly approaching Desmond, snarling in an attempt to frighten him, when he suddenly felt something biting his tail, making Dylan jump in shock.

"AAH!" he yelled out, Dylan then turned his head to see what was munching on his tail. It was D.J. pulling his tail and chuckling as he did.

"What the… D.J. what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Dawkins and Delgado?"

D.J. let go of Dylan's tail and shook his head in disagreement, he then walked up to the Tyrannosaurus' skeleton and sat down.

"D.J.! D.J.! Where are you?" Dawkins and Delgado were yelling as they went onto the second floor.

"Here guys!" Dylan yelled out to them. "D.J.'s over here."

"Ah! Thank dog, I didn't lose him." Dawkins told himself as he and Delgado entered the room, Dylan, Desmond, and D.J. were in.

"Ah! The Tyrannosaurus. Of course, you'd come here." Dawkins walked up to him and sat down. "Always checking your favorite dinosaur out?"

"What can I say, I have a soft spot for the king." Dylan looked at the giant carnivore's skeleton.

"Hey, Desmond. Whatcha looking at?" Delgado walked up to him.

"… Ah? Oh, I was just observing its feet." Desmond told him, still looking at the Tyrannosaur's feet.

"… Why?" Delgado frowned in confusion.

"Just a funny thought…" He replied to Delgado, nonchalantly. "The T-rex's feet resemble those of birds a lot."

Delgado took a good look at the huge creature's feet and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, they do… But aren't dinos just a bunch of overgrown lizards?"

"Desmond's in the right direction, actually, Delgado." Dylan appeared behind his younger brother. "Dinosaurs are closely related to birds."

Desmond rose an ear. "Really…? How very interesting."

"There've also been discovered dinosaurs with feathers too." Dawkins said. "There's the theory that the Tyrannosaurus had feathers as well."

"You don't say…" Desmond looked back at the Tyrannosaur and pondered on a thought. He grew a smile as the idea of these giant creatures that roamed the planet emerged in his mind, sparking an interest in them. "Hey! Are there any bookstores around here?"

"Yeah, there is one near the entrance of the museum." Dawkins answered him. "Why are you asking?"

"I want to check something out." Desmond walked next to him and Dylan.

"Well, I think it's time to move on to our next destination." Dylan said, then turned to Desmond. "Or do you want to stay a bit longer, Desmond?"

"… What's the time?" Desmond turned to Dawkins.

Dawkins pulled out the tablet he had from his backpack and looked at the time. "5:23 pm."

"Then I'll just leave it for another time." Desmond began walking out the room. "Come on, to landmark No. 2!"

"Alright then." Dylan and Dawkins stood up and went out the room as well. Dylan turned to his younger brother to call them when he heard Delgado, whose back was turned on him, making strange noises with his mouth "What are you doing, Delgado?"

Delgado jolted as he heard his older brother call him out. "Nothing!"

"Well, come on. We're leaving… D.J. you too."

"Coming!" Delgado spurted out and ran towards his brother along with D.J.

They then walked down the staircase to the first floor, but before they exited the building, Desmond stopped by the bookstore.

"Hey, Dylan. Look what I got." Desmond walked out of the bookstore and walked up to the group of dogs. He then pulled out a book out of his backpack.

"Nice, 'Giants of the Past'. I have the same book back home." Dylan noted. "You could have just asked me, I would've given it to you."

"What! Really? Then why did I bought it then?" Desmond frowned slightly. "Ahhh, Whatever! It's better off if I had my own copy of the book."

"Does that mean you're interested in prehistoric creatures, then?" Dylan asked, eagerly.

"It's your fault, Dylan." Desmond put the book back in his backpack. "You sparked the interest for the prehistoric world in me."

Dylan giggled then put a paw around Desmond. "Glad to hear that. Being the only one captivated by these magnificent animals can get a bit lonely."

As they exited the museum, Dylan noticed Delgado chewing on something in his mouth. "Delgado… What do you have in your mouth?"

Delgado began sweating as he tried to hide whatever he had in his mouth. "N-Nothing, Dylan! I've got nothing!"

"Delgado." Dylan said sternly. "Spit what you've got out, right now!"

Delgado contemplated for a little then slowly let a finger-bone he had in his mouth slide out on the ground. "… Sorry~…"

"Delgado!" Dylan yelled out, angered.

"Sorry! Sorry! But I couldn't help it." Delgado's ears dropped down as he made a nervous smile.

"Come on! We're returning that bone, right now!" He pulled Delgado by his collar back into the museum. "I hope we don't have any problems regarding this…"

After a while, Dylan and Delgado came out of the museum. "Why did you even take it you know it's pretty much just a rock."

"… Well… even if you say that I can't help it, you know?" Delgado pleaded.

Dylan just rubbed his forehead in tiredness. "… Whatever. Just don't let me see you doing it again. I'm serious this time!"

"Well?" Dawkins asked, a bit worried.

"Thankfully, I managed to return the bone without anybody noticing." Dylan looked back at Delgado.

"Okay, let's get back on track." Dylan turned his attention at Desmond. "Where do you want to go next?"

Desmond smiled as he knew that the next place they were going was the one he was waiting for eagerly. "Big Ben!"

All of the dogs looked at him with hesitant faces.

"What?" Desmond asked confused.

"Dawkins…?" Dylan turned to his younger brother.

"Oh no, Dylan! You're the tour guide, you tell him." Dawkins left Dylan's side.

"What? Tell me what?" Desmond asked again, even more confused.

"… Mmm~... You're probably not going to like this." Dylan looked to the side nervously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! I just wanted to thank you all for reading my story and liking it. Happy holiday! And Happy New Year!


	6. Sunset

"Well… You see, Desmond…" Dylan rubbed his paw. "Big Ben has been closed for restoration for a couple of years now. And it will be for the next two years or so.

Desmond rose his eyebrows in disbelief. "What?!"

"Yeah… Sorry." Dylan scratched the back of his head as he apologized. "And even if you wanted to go see it, scaffolding was put around the whole tower, so you won't even be able to do that."

Desmond's ears dropped as he heard this, he sighed, sounding very downhearted and he tsked from disappointment. "… I was really looking forward to this… Always wanted to visit the world-famous clock tower…"

Dylan walked up to him and patted him on the back. "… You know… The London Eye's nearby Big Ben, we could go there instead?"

"Don't fret, Desmond. You're going to be living here, right? You'll see Big Ben eventually!" Dawkins tried to reassure him.

Desmond exhaled heavily then looked them both and forced a smile. "Sure, 'the Eye' was another landmark I wanted to visit anyway!"

"We'll have to walk a bit until we reach a bus stop, though." Dawkins said.

The dogs began heading towards a nearby sidewalk and continued down the street. As they were walking, D.J. saw a music store along the way and bumped Dylan by his leg. "Huh?! What is it D.J.?"

D.J. pointed towards the music store.

"Ahh, yeah, that's right." Dylan remembered. "Go ahead then."

Desmond turned his head, wondering what was this all about. "Where's D.J. going?"

Dylan gestured to the music store. "D.J. wanted to get a new album that recently came out. That's why he also wanted to come on the tour."

"You don't mind, do you Desmond?" Dylan turned to him.

"Nah, it's fine." Desmond waved with his paw. "Let's go check out the store!"

The dogs then went into the music store. As they were there, D.J. was searching for the new album trough the shelves, while Dylan and Dawkins were looking at the acoustic guitars, Desmond was trying an electronic keyboard, and Delgado was walking from product to product.

After quickly getting the hang of it, Desmond began playing on the electronic keyboard. Dylan, Dawkins, and Delgado turned their attention to Desmond when they heard how well he was playing the instrument.

"Wow, Desmond!" Delgado walked up to him. "You're pretty good at this!"

Dylan leaned closer to Desmond. "Have you played on such an instrument before? Because as Delgado said, you sound great, playing on it!"

"You're quite talented indeed." Nodded Dawkins.

Desmond blushed as he heard them say this. "Thank you! I do have experience with this… Not this electronic keyboard, mind you, but with an upright piano."

"Though… I guess it isn't as hard playing on this keyboard as I thought." Desmond continued playing on the instrument. "Back home, I would play the piano for my mom. She loved listening to me play on it."

The dogs were too captivated by the sweet melody Desmond produced with the instrument to hear him, catching some of the words he said here and there.

"I would sit on the chair and play on the keyboard while my mom would help with the pedals." Desmond explained as he played the instrument. He then noticed another auditor listening to him.

D.J. had already found the album he was looking for and came to listen when he heard Desmond playing the instrument. He moved closer to Desmond and put a paw on the electronic keyboard.

"You want to have a go too?" Desmond asked.

D.J. nodded and Desmond stopped playing, letting D.J. take over the keyboard. The sudden pause of the music as Desmond and D.J. switched places made the three dogs snapback and noticed D.J.'s appearance.

"Oh, hey. You found that album, D.J.?" Dylan leaned toward his brother.

D.J. nodded as he played on the electronic keyboard.

"Okay, then. Let's go." Dylan told the dogs.

"Ah, Dylan! Don't forget to get a plectrum for Dante." Dawkins reminded him.

"Oh, yeah. Dante did want a new pick." Dylan noted. "Alright, everyone, give me a second and we'll be on our way."

Dylan went on to choose a plectrum while the others listened to D.J. play the instrument.

"Very good, D.J.!" Desmond told him as he listened to him play. "Mind if I take over again?"

D.J. moved to the side, letting him on the keyboard. As Desmond sat down and was about to start, he thought of something. "Since you mentioned Dante… You think he'd like this?"

Desmond started playing Frédéric Chopin's Funeral March.

"Funeral March?" Dawkins recognized the melody. "Yeah, Dante would like it."

"Can you play something else? Something… Happier?" Delgado laid on the floor. "This one is kinda sad."

"Sure." Desmond said. "How about this?"

Desmond began covering the song 'Walking on Sunshine' on the electronic keyboard.

"Oh, hey, hey, hey!" Delgado stood up as his ears did as well. "Isn't that… 'Walking on Sunshine'?!"

"Yup!" Desmond confirmed. "You guessed it."

"Alright, I got Dante his pick." Dylan walked up to them.

Desmond stopped playing on the keyboard. "So we're done here?"

"Ah-huh." Dylan nodded. All of them then walked out of the music store.

As they did Desmond turned to Dylan. "So Dante can play on a guitar, huh?"

"On an electric guitar." Dylan specified. "He's quite good at it."

"I'd like to hear him play it, sometimes." Desmond smirked.

"Ah… He'd probably refuse if you ask him. He doesn't like playing in front of others."

"Well, that's a shame. I wanted to hear him." Desmond tilted his head.

"Don't worry." Dylan bumped him on the side. "If you're lucky, you might catch him play while you're visiting."

"Hey, Dylan." Dawkins turned to him and pointed towards a building. "Mind if we go there?"

Dylan looked at the direction Dawkins was pointing to. "A science museum?"

"Oh, no!" Delgado disagreed. "You've visited that museum a billion times already. We are not going there again!"

D.J. joined Delgado's side and nodded in agreement. They then both stomped on the ground, heavily, emphasizing their disagreement.

"But I want to go too." Dylan told them. "We have the whole day to ourselves, it's not like we have to go to 'the Eye' immediately."

"Na-ah!" Delgado argued again. "We ain't moving from this spot!"

"… I suggest we vote." Dawkins turned to them. "That should be the best way to decide this."

"Alright." Dylan agreed then rose his paw. "Whoever wants to go to the museum, raise their paw."

Delgado and D.J. obviously didn't raise their paws. Dawkins rose his paw, and then Desmond rose his paw as well.

"Huh?!" Delgado exclaimed in disbelief. "Really, Desmond?! You want to go there? Don't tell me you like that science stuff too?"

"I'm more interested in visiting the museum, actually." Desmond specified. "I just want to check it out."

"Aww! Come on, Desmond. Put your paw down, please~." Delgado begged. "It's not like the previous museum, this one's super dull!"

"… Sorry guys, but I want to go see the museum." Desmond said, firmly.

"Argh! Then we'll just have to make you!" Delgado told him with a determined face. He and D.J. then dropped their ears, and made the sweetest puppy dog eyes they could, and started lightly whimpering.

"Aaah… No! None of that you two!" Dylan frowned at his younger brothers. "Play fair!"

"Ohhh… Aaah…" Desmond began feeling slight guilt form in him. "Well… I… Umm…"

Dawkins quickly stepped in front of Desmond and covered his eyes.

"Aww~" Dawkins turned to them then made a sweet face and smiled. "That won't be working anymore~"

Delgado and D.J. fiercely frowned at their older brother.

"How about now, Desmond?" Dawkins asked, his paw still covering Desmond's vision. "Still want to go to the science museum?"

"Uh-huh." Desmond nodded his head.

"Excellent!" Dawkins then smirked at Delgado and D.J. "Seems like you lose, dear brothers."

"TSK!" Delgado exclaimed as he sunk his head while D.J. heavily exhaled in frustration.

"D.J., please tell me you have another pair of headphones?" Delgado looked at him. "Cuz I don't wanna hear them blabber about scientific mumbo jumbo for hours!"

D.J. came prepared for such a situation and pulled a pair of earbuds that were connected to an MP3 player from his backpack and put them on his brother's ears. He then put the MP3 in Delgado's backpack.

"Ohhhh~! Thanks, bro! Didn't know you brought two of these." Delgado wagged his tail. "Ah!? Already played my favorite song."

D.J. had played the song 'Born to Be Wild' on the MP3 player before giving it to Delgado. He then pulled a CD Walkman out and played the disc from the new album he just got as he preferred to listen to most of the albums he purchased on the spot.

"Is that dad's…?" Delgado asked, surprised. "Still haven't thrown that away...? Well, I guess that's what you like, huh?"

The two of them then followed their older brothers and Desmond, who were already heading to the museum.

As Dawkins explained and showed the exhibits, with Dylan and Desmond closely listening to him, Delgado and D.J. were mostly just following them listening to their music which made their time spend in the museum more tolerable. And finally, after two hours of the dogs looking around the museum, they left and started heading to the bus stop.

"Ahh! Finally! Those were the longest two hours in my life. I'm so happy it's finally over." Delgado exclaimed in relaxation, he then returned the earbuds and the MP3 player to D.J. "Thanks again, D.J."

After reaching the bus stop, they waited for a while before the bus arrived and they all boarded on it. Like last time, the dogs shoved their head out the windows, with Desmond being the most eager to do so this time around. As the bus approached the Westminster Bridge, Desmond saw the London Eye. "Wow! It's huge!"

After the bus passed through the bridge, it stopped to a near bus stop where the dogs got off and continued down Belvedere road.

"Alright, Desmond. After we reach Jubilee Gardens, we turn left and we're there." Dylan pointed in the distance.

Desmond then thought for a bit. "Say… How much time are we going to spend on 'the Eye'?"

"A revolution on the London Eye takes around 30 minutes, Desmond." Dawkins replied. "If you're worried if it's going to get late, don't. We can go for two revolutions and still make it back home before 10 pm."

Suddenly Dawkins recalled a thought. "Dylan! I just remembered, our curfew is at 10 pm."

"Wha— Oh, yeah, that's right!" Dylan slammed himself on the cheek. "Well… Umm… Desmond, we won't be able to do more than two rides, then we'll have to be heading back home. Mum's going to kill me and Dawkins if Delgado and D.J. aren't back by 10 pm."

"… Let's go for two, then." Desmond said. They quickly then rushed to the London Eye.

"It's even bigger up close." Desmond grind at the colossal wheel as he stood in front of it.

"I got the tickets!" Dylan said. "Let's get on board!"

After waiting in line for around 20 minutes, the dogs finally boarded on 'the Eye'. The capsule they went in was relatively empty compared to the other ones, so Delgado had space to run around. As the capsule elevated, the dogs glued themselves to the glass, looking at the city outside.

"I'm so excited about this! Can't wait to reach the top!" Desmond said in eagerness as he hopped in excitement.

As Desmond was looking at the city, he saw the one place he wanted to visit the most—Big Ben, and immediately remembered the long time he'd have to wait to visit the clock tower, which made his enthusiasm drop a bit. The others quickly saw this and pushed Desmond to the other end of the capsule.

"Let's make sure Desmond's mood isn't ruined, okay?" Dylan whispered to his brothers. All of them nodded their heads in agreement.

"What are you guys nodding for?" Desmond asked, puzzled.

"Nothing!" Dylan replied with a smile. "Just enjoy the view, Desmond!"

At the second revolution, at the midpoint of the capsule's elevation, the sun started to set which engulfed the whole sky in an orange-red color and gave the clouds a purplish appearance.

All of the dogs were mesmerized by the beautiful view, they sat together as they watched the sun disappear under the horizon. As they gazed at the fading sun rays, Dylan subconsciously pulled his brothers closer to him in a hug, and Desmond recalled memories of him and his family gazing at the sunset when he was younger.

When the sun went under the horizon, twilight came. The whole city sparked with lights, illuminating the darkened cityscape. The London Eye itself lit up, and the lights from the city were reflected in River Thames making the scenery even more stunning.

"It's amazing…" Desmond murmured as he surveyed the city. "I had no idea London could be this incredible at night."

"You like it?!" Dylan turned to him.

"I love it…" Desmond grew a smile. "I think I'm going to love living here."

"Happy to hear that." Dylan smiled from ear to ear then went back to watching the cityscape.

At that moment, Desmond heard faint music coming from D.J.'s headphones. He leaned closer to him to get a better hear of the music D.J. was listening to. "What are you listening, D.J.?"

D.J. turned to him, smiled, removed his headphones and put them on Desmond.

"Ohhh…! … This song brings me back." Desmond was surprised when he heard the song playing, that being 'Last Train Home', on the headphones. "Like your taste, D.J.!"

Dylan was shocked by the actions of D.J. He lowered his head to his brother's level and whispered. "D.J.! You gave him your headphones?"

"Yeah, so?" D.J. asked his brother.

"You hardly give them to anyone, so why…?" Dylan wondered.

"Cuz I like him." D.J. simply replied. "He seems like a great guy. Not to mention that he can play on an electric keyboard, something only I do… It's nice to have someone with the same tastes as you, you know?"

Dylan looked to Desmond who was still listening to the music, unaware of Dylan and D.J.'s conversation as he was too focused on the music and the view outside.

"I get you." Dylan nodded. "Now that he has an interest in the prehistoric, I have someone to finally share this passion with."

"Hehe… Happy for you, big bro!" D.J. lightly jabbed him by the side. "Though you know I don't like talking all that much, so I'll be heading back to my music."

D.J. then walked up to Desmond, and tapped him, getting his attention.

"Want them back?" Desmond removed the headphones and gave them back to D.J.

D.J. sat next to him and without Desmond noticing, the small dog gestured to his brothers to join him. All of the Dalmatians sat together as they enjoyed the remainder of the ride.

* * *

"Thank you, guys! You really made this day special for me." Desmond thanked Dylan and his brothers as they arrived on Dalmatian St, walking back home from the tour.

"No need for gratitude, Desmond. It was our pleasure to make you feel at home." Dylan pulled him in for a quick hug.

"No, come on, Dylan…" Desmond rolled his eyes. "You're being modest right now."

Dylan giggled and broke his embrace. "So… What are you planning to do tomorrow?"

"Nothing really." Desmond answered nonchalantly. "Why?"

"I was thinking that… If you're free, we could hang out, perhaps?" Dylan replied.

"You want to hang out?" Desmond looked at him, puzzled.

"Since we're friends now, why not?" Dylan smirked at him. "That is of course if you aren't busy?"

"Nah, I'm free. So sure, I'll come. I have a session with Da Vinci, anyway."

Delgado bumped into Desmond's hind legs. "Huh? What's the matter, Delgado?"

"You're gonna race with me sometime, right?!" He spurted out, dashing by Desmond's side.

Desmond playfully shook his head. "Sure, sure! You can stick a note on me if you think I'll forget."

"ALRIGHT!" Delgado yelled in happiness.

Dylan put his paw on Delgado's mouth. "Not so loud, you're going to wake someone up, it's night time."

"Sorry~…" Delgado whispered.

The dogs finally reached Desmond's house and walked him up to the main door, but before he entered his home, Desmond turned to them. "Listen...

"Dylan, thank you for being an amazing tour guide, you made me like London even more than I initially thought. Dawkins, Delgado, and D.J., you too made my experience today amazing!"

"No problem, dude!" Delgado spurt out.

"You're quite welcomed, Desmond." Dawkins smiled.

D.J. winked and smiled slightly.

"Alright then. See you tomorrow, Desmond." Dylan and his brothers waved at Desmond, giving their goodbyes.

"Oh! By the way, many thanks to your mother! Tell her my back's getting better!" Desmond shouted out to Dylan. He waved back at them then entered his house as the dogs continued their way back home through the night.

* * *

"BEEP!" Dylan put his paw on the scanner, unlocking the main door.

"Phew!" He exhaled in relief. "We made it just in time."

Dylan entered his house, followed by his younger brothers then closed and locked the door.

"… Doesn't seem like anyone's up." Dawkins noted.

"Alright, you two…" Dylan looked towards Delgado and D.J. as he pointed at the second floor. "Off to your beds."

The two small dogs yawn and rubbed their eyes.

"Fine… Night, bro." Delgado began climbing the stairs. "Come on, D.J."

D.J. followed him up the stairs and the two of them went to their rooms.

"Think I'll go early to bed, Dylan." Dawkins told him. "Goodnight."

"See you in the morning." Dylan replied.

Dylan then went into the kitchen, where he was about to take a quick gulp of water from his bowl.

"Think fast!" Out of nowhere, Dolly threw a Frisbee at him.

Dylan quickly turned and caught the disc. "What are you doing, Dolly?!"

"Hehe! I saw how much you were into the game today, so I thought you'd like to continue." She snickered as she walked up to him.

Dylan put the Frisbee on the floor. "It's late, Dolly. Don't be ridicules."

Dylan walked out of the kitchen as Dolly went after him. "Well?"

"'Well' what?"

"I haven't seen you play '500' in years. Why now?"

He paused. "Because of Desmond.

"I wanted to make him feel more welcomed, and a quick game of '500' was a good way to do that."

"Ahaaa~" Dolly sat next to him. "That so~?"

"And here I thought you might've gotten a fever or something, cuz you aren't the type of dog to like sports." She shoved her face in his, with a smug smile.

Dylan pushed her aside and continued to the living room. "Well, how did the chores go?"

"Fine… Just fine…" Dolly yawned then headed for her room. "By the way, since you missed dinner, I've saved you some kibbles, but we're running low on them, so order more in the morning, will ya?"

"Sure thing, Dolly." Dylan replied.

She yawned again, louder this time. "I'll be heading to bed now, all these chores completely bushed me…"

"Goodnight." Dylan told her, then went for a quick snack.

* * *

Desmond entered his room. He tossed his backpack on the bed then walked over to his computer and booted it.

He removed the skipper cap off his head then stared at it for a moment. "… Friends… We're friends now, huh?"

"Guess that means I'm a step closer now." Desmond jumped on the chair and opened the chat application. But before he started texting he looked back at the cap.

"…

"Tsk! I suppose I have nothing essential to share with her…"

Desmond closed the application and turned off the computer. He jumped on his bed and pulled out the book he got from the natural history museum then pulled out the sketchbook Da Vinci gave him. He looked at both of them then back at the cap, Desmond grew a smile, then opened the book and spend the night reading it.

As he read it, only one thought floated in his mind. _I'm certain I'll enjoy my stay here…_


	7. Third Time's a Charm, Part 1

In the early morning, three dogs were found in the Dalmatians' house's backyard, doing their thing without the knowledge of their parents and most of their siblings.

"Argh! Nothing! This scratchcard's worthless!" One of the dogs—who had a cut on his right ear, a black patch on his left eye, and wore a chain instead of a collar with a tag in the shape of the number "1"—growled in annoyance as he scratched off the surface of the card with his claw, and got nothing. He then threw the scratchcard away. "It's a loser's card!"

"Chill, dude. One of these must be a winner!" The second dog—that had a patch on his right eye, two cuts on his left ear, and wore a chain with a tag in the shape of the number "2"—tried reassuring as he was scratching at a scratchcard as well.

"RAAAARGH!" The third dog—which had a cut on his left ear and two on his right, both his eyes had patches covering them, and like the previous two, wore a chain with a tag shaped as the number "3"—furiously ripped apart a scratchcard with his fangs and claws. "TRASH! ALL OF THESE ARE UTTER TRASH!"

All three of them had black ears, the hind part of their bodies was covered in black fur on white spots, and their chains were made out of pyrite. They were… Triplets.

"HEY! HEY! Calm down, D3!" The dog with the "2" on his chain bumped the raging dog on the leg. "Mum and dad will hear ya!"

"What the…! The heck ya bumping me for, D2?! You pickin' a fight or somethin'?!" The number "3" tagged dog angrily snarled, shoving his face into his, taunting him.

"A-a-and what if I am, huh?!" The number "2" tagged dog frowned at him, readying himself for a brawl.

Suddenly, the number "1" tagged dog pulled both of them aside, away from one another and lightly smacked them on the head.

"Dimitri 3, enough with this! Mum and dad are gonna hear you if you keep yelling like that. You know what'll happen if they figure out that we've been spending money on scratchcards, we're not exactly old enough to even buy them." He scolded him. "Thank dog for Dolly."

He then turned to the other dog. "Dimitri 2, stop falling for his taunts! You know D3's temper."

"Sorry, Dimitri 1…" Both of them apologized in unison.

D1 rubbed his forehead. "Look… I know that for the past three weeks, these scratchcards weren't fruitful and we've had it with them, but we're brothers… 'The Dimitri Trio' looks out for each other, does it not?"

D2 and D3 nodded their heads.

"Good…! Next time I see you starting a fight over a small thing like this, I'll personally smack ya— you around, got it?!" D1 growled at them.

His brothers nervously bobbed their heads in agreement, feeling a bit intimidated.

They were a troublesome bunch, but they faced any problem together.

"But, still… We spend all our allowance on these cards…" D2 said, with a bit of regret as he shoved some used cards to the side.

"It was a waste of our time and money!" D3 snorted out in vexation. "Where's mah bone, I need to sink mah teeth into somethin'?!"

As he walked over to grab a bone that laid on the ground, D3 felt the earth shaking under his paws. "Ahh! What the…?!"

D3 fell on the ground as a muddy pup popped out from the dirt.

"Mmm~ Yummy!" Diesel licked his lips as he saw the bone and was about to bite on it.

"OI! OI! OI! Diesel back off from mah bone!" D3 stood up and swooped over to his bone, quickly grabbing it with his mouth, out of his younger brother's reach.

"Dimitri 3… Was that your bone…?" The muddy pup asked, innocently. "Sorry… Didn't realize that. I smelled a bone when I was in my room and I just followed my nose…"

"Honestly, how can ya even smell from within the house?" D3 leaned to him, chewing on his bone. "Go back to digging holes, why don't cha?!"

"… Okay…!" Diesel smiled at his older brother, then started burrowing back in his hole. "Oh…! Dylan told me to warn when I dig deep holes… Be careful…"

And with that, Diesel was gone under the ground.

"Jeez! Didn't even ask." D3 frowned at the hole Diesel just made.

"D3, you coming?!" D2 yelled out to him. "Leave that hole and come over here. We're gonna decide who's getting the last scratchcard."

"Huh!? There's one left?" D3 walked up to his brothers.

"Come on… Rock, paper, scissors…" D1 said as the three dogs shook their paws. "GO!"

D1 threw scissors.

D2, paper.

And D3 also threw scissors.

"Well, I'm out." D2 laid on the ground and watched his brothers continue with the game.

"… Go!" D1 said then he threw scissors.

D3 threw rock this time.

"Hmm…? Okay, guess you get to scratch off the last card." D1 told him then slid the last scratchcard towards him. "Good luck."

D3 laid down and wondered for a bit. "Tell me how this was played, again!"

D1 rolled his eyes then pointed to the top of the card. "Scratch off this area first."

D3 did as his brother told him.

"Here you see four numbers—45, 38, 54, and 66."

He then pointed under the numbers. "Now, in this area here, you can scratch everything off. If you happen to at least get one number to match with the ones shown on top, you win whatever is under that number, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah!" D3 said nonchalantly as he continued to nibble on his bone. "Leave me alone, will ya?! I can't work with ya lookin' over my shoulder!"

"Fine. Just don't get your hopes up…" D1 warned.

"Argh!" D2 beat himself on the head.

D1 walked next to him and sat down. "What are you getting so worked up for, bro?"

"I still can't believe this… Over two hundred scratchcards and lottery tickets and nothing." D2 sniveled. "We didn't even get so much as ten pounds… Dizzy and Dee Dee won twenty pounds last week, remember?"

"Come on! Get a hold of yourself, you pup!" D1 jabbed him by the side. "Crap like this happens all the time to people. We're just not lucky, I guess."

D3 was finishing scratching off the remainder of the covered area. "Let's see here…"

* * *

"Alright, Desmond, stay still." Delilah told him as she unwrapped the bandages off of his back. "It's been a week, so you should be fully healed by now."

She then examined Desmond's back. "The bruises are gone and the wounds seem to have completely healed."

"Alright, Des!" Dolly exclaimed in happiness as she wrapped her paws around Desmond's neck and swung on it.

"Gagh!" Desmond began choking. "Dolly, let go, let go!"

"DOLLY!" Delilah yelled at her daughter.

Dolly immediately let go of Desmond's neck. "OH! Oh, I'm so sorry, Des. Didn't mean to choke ya!"

"I-It's fine…" He breathed in then out. "Hurm, hurm…! Warn first, jeez!"

Dolly nervously smiled at him.

"Lilah, hurry~ or we'll be late for work~!" Doug walked into the hallway and kissed Delilah on the cheek.

"We are?" She quickly looked at a clock hooked on the hallway's wall. "Oh! We are!"

Delilah grabbed her medkit, quickly gave Dolly a peck on the cheek, making her blush from embarrassment, and rushed to the main door.

"Alright, Dolly, We're off. You and Dylan make sure the house doesn't fall apart." Delilah joked.

"Pfff! When has that happened on our watch?" Dolly tried to reassure her mother.

Before the parents walked out the door, Doug turned around and happily exclaimed. "There's still time for a hug, though!"

A storm of pups rushed out the kitchen and onto Doug, in a big hug, knocking him down on the floor.

"Oh, Douglas…" Delilah chuckled, then pulled her husband out of the puppy pile.

"We love you~!" Doug told his kids as he and Delilah ran down the street as they were running late for their jobs.

"BYEEEH!" The pups yelled out to their parents.

As Dolly and Desmond sat together and watched the parents leave the house, Dolly noticed Desmond's big, warm smile, then noted that he was like that ever since he arrived at their home.

"Hey, Des…!" Dolly turned to him. "You seem happier than usual. What's that about?"

"I agree with Dolly." Deepak said, appearing behind the two dogs. "Your aura's gushing with joy today."

"Is it because your back has recovered?" Deepak wondered.

"Actually, I'm happy because of something else!" Desmond grinned gleefully, he then walked into the living room and pulled a sketchbook from a backpack he brought with him. "Here! Look at this!"

Dolly and Deepak looked at a page filed with perfectly drawn shapes of squares, triangles, and circles.

"… Umm… Cool…? I guess." Dolly looked at the shapes with confusion.

"Right? I did as Da Vinci said, and practiced every day on them." Desmond happily replied. "Now I can draw them with no error!"

"Good for you…!" Dolly smiled at him, listlessly, as she didn't care that much about art.

"I suppose you'd like to show them to Da Vinci then?" Deepak asked.

"Ah-huh!" Desmond nodded. "Is she in her room?"

"Yeah, go see her." Dolly told him.

Desmond quickly ran up the stairs and headed for Da Vinci's room.

* * *

"Any luck, D3?" D2 asked his brother.

"Hold it! I'm checking right now!" D3 scowled at him, then went back to the card, trying to find a number he could match.

"… 44, no.

"46, no.

"39… No!

"55, No!

"67, NO!

"54, NO! Nothin'! And all of them are so close too! ARGH!" D3 bit down on his bone harder in anger.

D1 exhaled in disappointment. "As I told you, don't get your hopes up, dude."

"Argh…! There! Now we're completely broke!" D2 blubbered.

D1 stood up. "Let's try asking some of our siblings for a loan… Maybe Dylan can lend us some money."

D3 groaned and was about to tear the card up, when he suddenly stopped himself, remembering something. "… Wait a minute… 54…?!"

D3 quickly looked over the numbers on the scratchcard, again.

He looked at the numbers on top. "45, 38, 54, 66… 54…"

Then his look slanted down to the area below. "… 54…"

"Hey… 54 and 54!" D3's ears perked up. "There are two fifty-fours…!"

"Huh?!" His brothers turned to him.

"What?" D1 pondered. "What are you freaking out about?!"

D2 tilted his head. "What is it, bro?! Tell us!"

"I have two matchin' numbers!" D3 grinned widely. "Look! Look!"

His two brothers stood in shock and disbelief.

"You aren't screwing with us, are you?" D1 wondered. "If this is a joke, I'm gonna bite your leg!"

"I'm not lyin'! Here, look!" D3 exclaimed angrily.

His two brothers walked up to him and took a close look at the card.

"… No way… NO WAY, NO WAY, NO WAY!" D2 jumped in surprise. "You do have a match!"

"HOLY CRAP! You really weren't lying, D3!" D1 exclaimed in incredulity.

"I told ya, dudes!" D3 happily chortled.

D1 then grabbed the card from his brother, wanting to see it with his own eyes.

"Alright, alright! Calm down, you two… Let's check again just in case." D1 tried to compose himself. "Let's make sure we're not getting excited over nothing."

D2 and D3 gathered around their brother, and all of them examined the card one more time.

"Ah-huh! There's no mistake, there are two fifty-fours on this scratchcard!" Confirmed D1 in joy.

"WE'VE WOOOOOOOOOOOON!" Chorused the three dogs, their eyes almost tearing up from joy.

"But what did we win, though?" D2 asked.

"Look under the number! Look under the number!" D3 told his brother.

"I know, I know! Stop nagging!" D1 fumed, then looked. "We win… Ten thousand pounds…"

"TEN THOUSAND FREAKING POUNDS!" Sputtered D1 in ecstasy.

"TEN THOUSAND?! THAT'S A CRAP TON OF MONEY!" D2 rolled on the ground. "We're rich! We're rich!"

"Now we're talkin'!" D3 spat out his bone and joined his brother, who rolled on the ground.

"This is what we've been waiting for, guys!" Declared D1 as he stood in front of his brothers. "Luck has finally aligned with 'The Dimitri Trio'!"

He and D2 then grabbed D3 and wrapped their paws around him, in a solid hug.

"And it's all thanks to our little bro, right here!" D1 tapped him on the nose.

"He's our lucky charm, it seems!" D2 patted his brother on the head.

"HAHAHA! Yeah, yeah, I'm the best!" Bubbled D3, making a big, smug smile.

"What do ya think we should buy with the money?!" D2 released his brother from the embrace. "Let's buy us actual golden chains, huh?"

"How about a big plasma screen only for us, ya guys?!" D3 announced as he broke from D1's embrace. "I'd also like to get some piercings on my ears!"

"Or what about that gaming console that came out last year?" D2 suggested.

"Oi! Oi! Let's buy a waterbed, and then to celebrate, buy the biggest pizza!" D3 proposed as he and D2 hopped in happiness.

"You, D1?" D2 asked his brother. "Whatcha gonna use the money for?"

D1 looked at the card, pondering on what he'd want when a sudden idea occurred to him. "I have a better idea of what we should do with the money…"


	8. Third Time's a Charm, Part 2

"What?" D2 asked, puzzled. "What do ya have in mind?"

"Well, c'mon, dog, spit it out!" D3 demanded.

D1 pointed at the card then at their house, which confused his brothers.

"We share the money with our family!" D1 declared.

D2 tilted his head, perplexed, while D3 frowned at him.

"… Umm… Share the money, D1?" D2 walked up to him. "We won the money ourselves, did ya forget?"

"Yeah! We won the money, not them." D3 also walked up to his brother, peeved. "The only ones with the right to this money is us."

D1 scowled at his brothers and bumped them on their heads.

"Arghhh…!" D3 growled in pain. "The heck was that for?!"

D2 rubbed his head. "Yeah…?!"

"Sheesh! How can you guys be so selfish?" Rasped D1, then put a finger on his forehead. "Think about it, you two…"

His two brothers focused their attention on him.

"We've been getting into lots of trouble—especially lately, right?" D1 sat on the ground.

"Uh-huh!" His brothers agreed in unison.

"So, if we share the money with the family, they'll probably forget all that bad stuff we've been doing recently." D1 told them. "And they'll also adore us!"

"Hey, that's not a bad idea!" D2 grew a grin.

"Ah! I see what ya mean." D3 bubbled. "You're a freakin' genius!"

"Right…? Not to mention that we'll also have some of the money to ourselves." D1 added. "What do you guys say?"

"I'm in!" D2 exclaimed.

"Me too!" D3 agreed as well. "… But wait…

"How are we gonna share the money?"

"We'll split it, of course, evenly." D1 replied.

"And… How much should we give to everyone, then?" D2 wondered.

"Simple, D2. We have 96 brothers and sisters, including us three, plus mum and dad that makes us 101, right…?" D1 began waving the card. "So we take the ten thousand pounds and… And….. Divide… I think…

"Right…? Guys?"

D3 shrugged his shoulders, while D2 rubbed his muzzle.

"I don't know." D3 scoffed.

"And I'm not sure." D2 faltered. "Hey! Let's ask Dawkins, he's good at math."

"Yeah, yeah. Mister Know-it-all can calculate it for us." said D3.

All of them nodded and headed to the house.

* * *

As Desmond was about to enter Da Vinci's room, he noticed Dante walking out of his room.

"Good morning, Dante!" Desmond waved at him.

Dante squinted at him, and quickly went back in his room.

 _… Weird…_ Desmond thought to himself but shrugged it off as Dante not being in a good mood.

He then slowly opened the door to Da Vinci's room and peeked in. Da Vinci was standing in front of a canvas, splattering paint with her paws on it, haphazardly. Desmond entered the room and silently walked up to her. He then sat next to her, trying not to make much noise.

"Good morning, Da Vin—"

"AAH!" Da Vinci got startled, and by reflex, splashed Desmond with paint in his face.

"Oh, Desmond! I'm so sorry, didn't meant to… You just startled me." Da Vinci exclaimed, then took a towel and started cleaning Desmond's face which was covered in wet paint. "None got in your eyes, did it?"

"No, no. I'm fine…" He reassured her. "Shouldn't have sneaked up on you."

Da Vinci finished cleaning Desmond's face and left the paint-stained towel on her desk. "Came early again, I see."

Desmond smiled at her and nodded.

"You don't have to always come this early, you know?" Da Vinci told him, then giggled. "We haven't even had breakfast yet."

"I know, but I don't mind. I get up early anyway." Desmond assured her. "By the way, don't you usually use brushes to paint?"

Da Vinci looked at her paint-stained paws. "Ah, this? I sometimes just use my paws to paint. I'm not as accurate with them as I am with a brush, but I guess it's a habit from when I was a pup."

"Aha… You know, I have such habits too." Desmond related.

"Oh, yeah?" She puffed her cheeks. "Like?"

"Ahem…!" Desmond cleared his throat, a bit abashed.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm… Kind of embarrassed from this one…"

"Come on, how bad can it be?" She giggled. "Everybody has their habits."

"Okay, okay, but this stays between us, alright?" Desmond firmly stated.

Da Vinci put a paw on one end of her lips and slid it to the other as if zipping a zipper. "Lips sealed."

"I… Umm… Occasionally… Bite on my paws… And sometimes, I even do it without realizing it…" Desmond spluttered as his face went hot-red from embarrassment.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk!" Da Vinci frowned. "And here I thought I knew you better. Only a weirdo would do something like that."

"Ahh! There, I knew it… Oh, dog! I really wished I hadn't told you that…" Desmond fretted in regret.

"Hahahaha! Hehehe! Just kidding, Desmond, just kidding." She rubbed him on the back, comforting him. "You think I haven't heard worse? In a family like mine, everyone does weird things."

"But as I promised—Lips sealed! Your secret's safe with me." She winked at him.

"Alright…" Desmond exhaled in relief. "Got me worried there for a moment."

He then began spinning in place.

"Hehe!" Da Vinci started chuckling from seeing Desmond whirling around in circles. "What are you doing? Another habit of yours?"

"Have you noticed?" he asked. "Look at my back!"

"Huh?! Your back? Why your ba—"

"Ahh! The bandages are gone!" Da Vinci smiled. "So you're back's healed!"

"Yup! Thanks to Delilah."

"Oh, yeah! Here… I almost forgot why I came to see you." Desmond showed her the sketchbook. "Take a look."

Da Vinci looked over the sketchbook and saw the nicely drawn shapes.

"Excellent!" she gasped in delight. "You've nailed them."

"Thanks!" Desmond smiled at her as he wagged his tail.

"Alright, then…" Da Vinci put the sketchbook aside. "You ready for the next step?"

"Uh-huh! I am!" Desmond confirmed. "Let's go!"

"But first…" She pointed at a chair.

He rubbed his head. "Ah, yeah! Modeling, sure!"

Desmond walked up to the chair and was about to jump on it when Da Vinci suddenly made a gesture with her paw for him to stop. "Actually… Mind if you lay on the floor for this?"

"… Alright." Desmond did as Da Vinci asked.

"Now, face me, extend your right paw foreword, and retract your left one."

"Like this?"

"Perfect, now stay still…" She grabbed a pencil and started sketching on her canvas.

As Da Vinci was just beginning to sketch, the door of her room abruptly opened and Dizzy entered in.

"Sis! Come see this!" The small pup exclaimed. "WE'RE RICH!"

Desmond and Da Vinci jolted their heads at her, in a bit of confusion. Then looked at each other.

"Rich?!" both of them said in unison.

"What's this about, Dizzy?" Da Vinci asked her younger sister, puzzled.

"I told you, come see!" Dizzy repeated herself, then dashed to the living room.

Desmond stood up, and along with Da Vinci went to see what the fuss was all about.

* * *

"Where did you get this scratchcard from?!" Dylan demanded with an angry frown as he held the card.

"From a grocery store…" D1 answered his older brother, while D2 and D3 stayed behind him.

"And how did you get it?" the black-eared dog demanded again.

"I told you, from a grocery store."

"No! That's not what I'm asking, you have to be at least sixteen to purchase one of these." Dylan pointed at the card. "Well?!"

"… Umm… We… Err…" Quavered D1 as he couldn't think of an answer.

Dylan started pondering. "The only ones old enough to buy a scratchcard besides mum and dad, and I know they wouldn't, are me and… Oh, dog…!

"DOLLY! COME HERE, RIGHT NOW!"

Dolly entered the living room shortly after Dylan called her.

"What?! I was just gonna play tug of war with the pups." Dolly chided. "Why are ya shouting like that?"

Dylan showed the scratchcard to his sister which made her quickly shiver and break into sweet as she realized what was going on.

"Did you buy this scratchcard?" Dylan sternly asked as he walked up to her.

"Well, I…" She quickly glanced over to the Dimitris then fix her eyes at Dylan again. "N-Nooo~"

Dylan noticed Dolly's sudden glance, which confirmed his suspicion. "So you did buy it, then?"

Dolly sighed and nodded her head. "Yeah, I bought them for the Dimitris…"

"Wait! 'Them'?! You've bought more of these?" Dylan angrily asked.

"AH! NO, NO! It was just this one—"

"Dolly!" Dylan growled.

"Alright, alright. The Dimitris asked me to get them some of these cards and lottery tickets, and so I did." she confessed.

"You did? Without thinking it may be a bad idea?"

"Why a bad idea?" she asked.

"Because the chances of winning are very slim! You could've just spent your money for nothing!" Dylan scolded her.

"Actually… The money was ours, bro. Dolly just got us the cards and tickets." D3 told Dylan.

"Yours?" Dylan turned to the Dimitris. "And how many did Dolly buy you?"

"… A bit over…" D2 hesitated for a moment. "… Two hundred."

Dylan stood in shock. He quickly looked at the card's price. "Two pounds… So you spend over four hundred pounds for these?!"

"I guess… Not like we kept count on how much we spend. But, hey! Give us some props! We won way more money than we gave, right?!" D1 tried assuring.

Dylan looked back at the card then back at the Dimitris and rubbed his forehead. "Alright, look…! Here's what we're going to do.

"Since you did, in fact, made the money back, I'll close my eyes this time."

"Alright!" the three dogs chortled in unison. While Dolly wiped sweat off her forehead in relief.

"But…!" Dylan suddenly added.

"I'll consult with mum and dad about this. We'll see what they have to say." He then went out of the living room with the card.

"Aww, seriously!" D3 seethed. "C'mon, dog!"

As he was passing through the hallway, Dylan saw Desmond and Da Vinci walking down the stairs.

"Dylan, what's going on?" Da Vinci asked.

"Go ask the others in the living room." Dylan told her as he continued walking through the hallway.

"He seems mad…" Desmond noted. "He didn't even acknowledge me."

The two dogs threw each other concerned looks and hurried to the living room.

"What's going on?" Da Vinci entered the room. "Why is Dylan in a bad mood?"

"He found out that I was buying the Dimitris scratchcards and tickets for the lottery." Dolly answered her, she then rose an ear to hear if Dylan was nearby, which he wasn't, and turned to the Dimitris.

"Oh, dog! I can't believe you three actually won something!" Chortled Dolly. "So, how much didja win?!"

"A ton of money, sis!" D3 stuck his chest out with pride, then pointed to himself. "And it's thanks to this dog, right here!"

"Great, great, but how much?!" Dolly eagerly asked.

"Ten thousand pounds." D1 grinned at her.

Dolly gawked in disbelieve, and so did Desmond, Da Vinci, and the other dogs in the room.

Dolly then grabbed the Dimitris and began spinning them in joy. "YAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Ten thousand?!" Da Vinci stood baffled.

"WOW!" Desmond cleared his ears, making sure he heard right. "Aren't you the luckiest dogs?!"

"But, what happened?" Dolly put her brothers back on the floor. "I thought I told you to make sure that Dylan didn't sniff ya out."

"We were searching for Dawkins, so he could calculate something for us, but we stumbled upon Dylan first and he saw the card and… I guess ya can figure out the rest." D2 replied.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk! That's unfortunate." Dolly sighed. "I could've dealt with Dylan, but mom and dad… Argh!

"Hold on… You said you wanted Dawkins for something…? Didn't we agreed that whatever ya win you'd come to tell me first?" Dolly scowled at the three dogs. "So why go to Dawkins, then?!"

"We thought of something else, Dolly." D1 told her. "We agreed we'd share the money with the family. That's why we needed Dawkins, so he can tell us how much each dog should get.

"Everyone must get an even amount of money, after all."

"Why didn't ya just calculate that yourselves?" Dolly listlessly asked.

The Dimitris looked to the side, away from their sister, slightly embarrassed.

"Ya-Ya know we suck at math." D1 answered.

"Well, I'm kind of mad that you didn't come directly to me, but I like your way of thinking!" Dolly told them. "Putting the family on first place, huh?"

She then pinched their cheeks. "Arentcha the sweetest little bros~"

"Knock it off, Dolly!" D3 growled as did his brothers.

"Hehehe~! Just teasing ya~!" She chuckled.

"What's going on? Why is everybody shouting?" Dawkins entered the room. "Can't a dog do its research in peace?!"

"The Dimitris won ten thousand pounds!" Dizzy told her older brother.

"PFFF! Get out of here!" Dawkins exclaimed. "You've got to be kidding!"

"Nuh-uh, bro!" D3 said in pride. "Thanks to me, we're all rich dogs now!

"Oh! By the way, by the way! Can ya tell us how to split the money evenly?"

"Well…" Dawkins composed himself. "You just divide ten thousand by the number of our family and there you go." Dawkins nonchalantly told him.

"… And that would be…" D2 asked.

Dawkins rolled his eyes. "Roughly ninety-ni—"

"Alright! I gave mum and dad a call…" Dylan said as he entered the room, interrupting his brother. "First things first…

"Dolly, Dimitris, you're grounded for a week."

"Craaap!" Dolly and the Dimitris bellowed in unison.

"Language, you four!" Dylan scolded. "It's what you get for buying things like this behind mum and dad's backs.

"You got it easy if you want to know. Mum and dad were thinking of grounding you for a month, but I convinced them to ease your punishment, so you should be thanking me!"

"So, you told me you wanted to split the money, right, Dimitri 1?" Dylan turned to him.

D1 nodded.

"I mentioned that as well. Mum and dad suggested splitting the money only between ourselves." Dylan returned the scratchcard to D1. "Pretty much, they don't want any of it."

"Well, that changes things then." Dawkins said. "In that case, we'll divide ten thousand by 99 which means everyone, except for mum and Doug, will get… Umm… Let's round it down to 101 pounds per dog."

"Nice!" Chirped Dolly. "I can finally buy a new skateboard!"

Dawkins rubbed his cheek. "I guess I can get some medical books now."

Dizzy hopped. "TOYS! TOYS! TOYS!"

"I've been running short on canvases and paint, lately…" Da Vinci thought to herself.

Dylan and Dawkins look at each other and smiled as they pointed at one another.

"And the rest of my money goes to my savings." The two of them grinned as they said in unison.

"What was that?" One of the pups entered the room when it overheard them. "Did Dizzy say toys?!"

"Toys?! Toys?! Toys?!" More puppies entered the room in a rush.

"Everyone's getting toys! Thanks to the Dimitris!" Dizzy said.

The pups then rush towards the three dogs in a huge hug and began cheering them. "Dimitris! Dimitris! Dimitris!"

"What I tell you, guys…" D1 smugly looked at his brothers. "They're loving us!"

"Oh, yeah! HAHA!" D3 cackled.

"Yippee-yeaaah!" D2 exulted.

"Okay, then. Let's go get our money from the store!" D1 told his brothers.

"You can't get the money from a store." Dylan stated.

"HUH…?!" D3 exclaimed, puzzled. "Why not?!"

"We aren't talking about a hundred or two hundred pounds here. To collect such a big amount of money you have to go to a post office." Dylan explained.

"Fine." D1 rolled his eyes. "We'll just go to a post office."

"One more thing…" Dylan added.

"Arrrgh! What?!" Snarled D1.

"You have to be eighteen or older to get the money." Dylan told his brother.

"Whaaa! Are you joking?!" D1 fumed.

"Eighteen?! But… Err… None of us are that old!" D2 fretted.

"So, What?! We can't get our prize just cuz we aren't adults?!" Scowled D3. "Ya tellin' us to wait five years before we can get our money?!"

"Calm down, you three!" Dylan barked. "No one's telling you to wait that long, just wait until mum and dad come home and they can go get the money."

"YEAH RIGHT!" D1 stomped on the floor. "We won the money, we're gonna claim the money, and that's that!"

"Why are you so stubborn?" Dylan chided. "You know that even if you go to the office, they'll make you leave."

"If they kick us out then we'll bite them!" the Dimitris responded.

Dylan angrily exhaled. "Fine, GO! Do what you want… You're going to come back empty-handed, anyway."

"We'll see…" D1 frowned, then looked around the room and saw Desmond. "Hey! It's tower-dog!"

D1 then suddenly got an idea. "Hey…! Umm… Desmond, right? You're eighteen, aren't you?"

"Seventeen." Desmond corrected.

"Ah, close enough." D1 waved with his paw then walked up to him. "You look like an adult, so how about helping us with the money? Whatcha say, you in?"

Dylan pondered for a moment when he heard this. "… I guess it could work… I mean, I mistook you for an adult the first time we met, Desmond."

"Then, let's give it a shot." Dolly said, then smiled at Desmond.

"Only if he's fine with it!" Dylan turned to his sister.

"Well, I'm willing to help, but I'm not certain it will work." Desmond told them.

Dolly took the scratchcard from D1 and walked up to Desmond. "It will! Just do this…"

Dolly grabbed his paw and gave him the card, she then cleared out her throat. "Walk in there, present the card and confidently say: 'Hello there! I'd like to receive my 10K pounds.'—Like that. You'll be fine!"

"If you're that sure, Dolly." Desmond giggled. "If I remember right, there is a post office a couple of blocks from here. Right, Dylan?"

"Uh-huh." Dylan confirm.

All the dogs walked Desmond and the trio of brothers to the main door and as Desmond and the Dimitris were about to head out, Dylan pulled D1 for a word. "I expect you to listen to Desmond and not give him a hard time while you're with him, okay?"

"Chill, Dylan. He's helping us get the money, right? We won't bother him." D1 reassured his older brother.

Dylan look over to the other Dimitris then squinted at D1. "I'm more worried about Dimitri 2 and Dimitri 3."

"I get you, bro." D1 nodded. "I'll give them a talk."

"Good." Dylan smiled at him. "Go now."

"Wait, Desmond!" Da Vinci ran to him as he and the trio were walking down the porch stairs.

"What?!" Desmond turned to her. "What is it?"

"Lean your head for a second." Da Vinci told him.

She then licked her paw and wiped off a small stain of paint from his ear. "There you go."

"Still had some paint left, huh?" He smirked at her.

"Got to be clean when you go to the office." She smiled back.

"YO! TOWER-DOG! HURRY UP!" D3 yelled, impatiently.

"Where's the rush?" Desmond told him as he walked down the stairs. "We have plenty of time before the office closes."

"Ya tryin' to be smart with me or somethin'?!" D3 retorted, frowning at him.

D1 jabbed him on the side. "Cut it out!"

"What?!" D3 pondered.

D1 pulled him and D2 towards himself and whispered. "Let's leave the tall guy alone, ah? He's the only one who has a chance of getting us the money. Just play nice until we're done."

D2 and D3 looked at each other, thinking it over, then decided.

"Fine." D3 agreed.

"As you say." D2 agreed as well.

"Alright, Desmond!" D1 tapped him on the side then gave him a friendly smile. "Let's go!"

Desmond returned the card to D1 and the four dogs headed towards the post office.

As Da Vinci was looking at them, she noticed Dylan looking at the four with a worried look. "Worried about the Dimitris?"

Dylan fixed his sight at his sister. "Obviously… I'm worried they'll irritate or provoke Desmond in some way. I talked with Dimitri 1, but still…"

Da Vinci sat next to him. "Then calm down. If Dimitri 2 and Dimitri 3 give Desmond a hard time, Dimitri 1'll deal with them."

Dylan looked back at the four dogs. "Hope you're right…"

* * *

"So, Desmond…" D1 walked to his side. "We haven't met that often since you moved in."

"I tried talking to you, but you never bothered to give me the time of day." Desmond reminded him.

"Ohhh, yeah…!" D1 coughed out. "Well… Err… Sorry about that. How about we try getting along now?

"I'm sure you already got our names, right?"

Desmond nodded then pointed at D1. "You're Dimitri 1…"

He then pointed at the other two dogs behind him. "On the left is Dimitri 2, on the right Dimitr—"

"Scrap that!" D1 interrupted him. "Just call me D1, and them—D2 and D3."

Desmond looked at him, confused. "Don't you want to be addressed by your full names?"

"Nah, dude! Just call us like that. We don't care much about others addressing us by full name… Honestly, it gets irritating saying Dimitri 1, Dimitri 2, Dimitri 3—Argh! There, it just got me annoyed saying our full names."

"You know, if it bothers you that much, when you hit eighteen, you can go change your names." Desmond suggested.

"As if! Those are the names mum gave us, so there's no way we'll change them." D1 stated.

He then turned to his brothers who were a bit behind. "You guys gonna move at a snail's pace or are you gonna speed up?!"

His brothers jolted a little from their brother's yell and quickly rushed over to them.

"Say something to Desmond, you two." Grumbled D1.

"Umm… You're tall." D2 shrugged.

D1 pulled D2's ear. "Not stupid things like that, D2."

"Okay, okay! Let go of my ear, will ya?!"

"You've got patches coverin' your eyes like me, that's cool, I guess." D3 tried complimenting.

"Thanks… I suppose." Desmond replied.

"Sheesh…! I thought this would be easier…" D1 hung his head.

After a while, the dogs came across a narrow alleyway that caught Desmond's attention.

"Hey!" Desmond turned to the trio that walked behind him. "This alleyway's a shortcut to the post office. Want to go through it?"

"If it's gonna reduce our walking, sure, why not." D1 agreed.

They then entered the alleyway.

"Hey, D1! Can ya give me the card for a second?" D2 said. "I wanna check something."

"Here." D1 passed him the scratchcard.

"Let me just see if–AHHH!" D2 yelped in pain as something suddenly pass over him. "My paw! My paw!"

The three dogs jerked their heads at D2.

"What happened, bro?!" D1 anxiously asked him.

"Arrrgh…! Something bit my paw!" He raised his paw, sowing the bite marks. "OH DOG! OH DOG! There's b-b-blood coming out!"

D2 began panicking. "I'm bleediiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!"

"Keep calm, D2. You're bleeding just a little, nothing to fuss about." D1 tried calming him down.

As D3 looked at D2's bitten paw he realized the scratchcard was missing. "Did you drop it?!"

"Drop what?!" D2 tried composing himself. "… Oh, crap, the card! It's gone."

"Look over there!" Desmond pointed to a window.

The Dimitris fixed their eyes at the window Desmond was pointing at. They saw a slim cat with black fur and green eyes that had the scratchcard in its mouth.

"HEY! THAT'S OURS, YOU THIEF!" D3 Shouted in anger. "GIVE THE CARD BACK!"

The cat then quickly jumped off the window and ran through the alleyway.

"I'm sure that cat bit you, D2" D1 realized. "The scum!"

"What?! Not only did that cat steal our winner-card, but it also bit D2?!" D3 snarled in fury. "I'M GANNA BITE THAT CAT'S FREAKIN' EARS OFF!"

D3 rushed after the cat in a blind rage.

"D1 we can't let the cat ran off with the card!" D2 shuddered.

"But your paw… Can you walk on it?" D1 asked him with a worried look.

"It hurts when I step on it… But I have three more paws, don't worry." D2 reassured him.

"Alright, let's go get that fur-ball-spitting dirtbag!" D1 frowned.

"Then let's hurry or we're going to lose track of both D3 and the cat." Desmond told them.

The three dogs then dashed after them, hoping that they can catch up to D3, and get the cat before they lose their ten thousand pounds.


	9. Third Time's a Charm, Part 3

"WAIT TILL I GET MY PAWS ON YOU, YOU DAMN CAT!" D3 chased the black-furred cat, completely consumed by rage.

Just behind him were Desmond and his two brothers, trying to catch up to him.

"Can you guys… slow down a bit?!" D2 gasped for air as running on three legs was not only very difficult for him, but it was exhausting him rapidly. "I... I can't keep up!"

"If we do, we're gonna lose the cat!" D1 replied to him.

"Jump on my back, D2." Desmond told to him.

"Ya sure?" D2 queried.

"Yes! Just hurry and get on!" Desmond spurted, then stopped as did D2, and laid on the ground. "HURRY!"

D2 quickly jumped on Desmond's back.

"Hold tight." Desmond stood up and sprinted after D1, catching up with him.

"Good idea, Desmond." D1 acknowledged. "You good up there, D2?"

"I can catch my breath now." D2 answered his brother.

As they were nearing the end of the alleyway, the cat noticed a taxi passing by, and as it exited the alley, jumped on top of it. D3 sped up and went after the car. A second later, Desmond with D2 on his back, and D1 exited the alleyway.

"D3! SLOW DOWN…!" D1 shouted out to his brother. "D3!"

"No use, bro. He can't hear ya." D2 said. "He's totally gone mad."

After a couple of blocks, the taxi stopped by the sidewalk.

"Thanks!" a woman went out of the taxi, then turned to the driver. "Have a nice da—AHH!"

The cat abruptly jumped passed the woman and continued running.

"A cat?!" the woman wondered. "What's a cat doin—AHH!"

D3 rushed pass her, barking as he did, scaring the woman.

"COME BACK HERE!" D3 roared at the cat, he then put all he had in a sprint to gain on the cat.

The black-furred cat took a quick look behind itself and saw the furies dog, millimeters away from it. Just as D3 was about to bite down on the cat's tail, the cat made a fast turn to another alleyway, but not before D3 bit some fur of its tail, making the cat jolt in pain. It then jumped to a window and hissed at the dog. The cat started jumping from window to window until it reached the top of the building.

"That was a close one." the cat looked down at the dog then began hopping onto other roofs, quickly moving out of D3's sight.

When it thought it was far enough, it took a look at the scratchcard it stole. "Oh, yeah! I hit a jackpot… This money should do the trick. Heck! I'll even have enough money left to spoil myself!"

It then made its way down of the building and vanished into the city.

* * *

"PTUI! PTUI!" D3 spat out fur from his mouth. "EWW…! ARGGGH! DAMN THAT CAT!"

D3 ran out the alleyway just to bump into the other dogs, who finally caught up to him.

"Where were ya, guys?! Why didn't ya went after the cat, huh?!" D3 frowned at the three dogs.

D1 walked up to him and bumped him on the head. "We went after you! Don't just run off on your own like that, you airhead! That cat could've gotten you lost!"

"HEY! That blasted cat stole our card, and hurt D2! IT HURT D2!" D3 growled at his brother. "Ya tellin' me ya aren't mad about that?!"

"Of course I am! But getting mad won't help us, right now." D1 tried to reason. "… Look, let's just… Calm down, alright?"

D3 glanced over to D2's wounded paw. "… Easy for ya to say."

D3 composed himself as much as he could and walked up to Desmond. "Get D2 off ya back, Desmond."

"Why…?!" questioned D1. "D2 can't walk, D3. His paw's killing him!"

"I know, that's why I'll take care of his paw!" D3 declared.

D1 tilted his head in confusion.

"C'mon! Get him down!" D3 repeated.

Desmond laid down and let D2 get off his back.

"What're ya gonna do…?" D2 asked with uncertainty.

D3 grabbed his brother's wounded paw and started hawking.

"AH, AH, AH!" D2 yelped. "NO, NO, NO! Don't you dare spit on my paw!"

"We gotta clean the wounds, D2!" D3 claimed.

"That's just gonna make it worse!" D2 pulled his paw away. "Let's just leave it to mum."

"Gah! Fine!" D3 rolled his eyes. "If ya can't walk, get back on Desmond's back."

D2 glanced at his wounded paw and puffed out in irritation. "… Stupid cat!"

D3 then went to the black fur he spat out on the ground and began smelling it. "I'll sniff that cat out!"

After taking in the scent, he rose his head and started smelling the air. "… Argh!"

"What's the matter? Can't you find that furball?" D1 asked.

"The scent's too weak… I can't locate that cat." He exhaled in frustration. "Besides, I don't have the best sense of smell."

D1 tried sniffing out the cat's scent as well, but his sense of smell wasn't very good either.

"Desmond, why don't you give it a shot?" D1 turned to him. "Maybe you can do it."

Desmond tried but failed as well. "Sorry, D1. I can't locate it either."

D2 hopped over to them on three legs. "If one of us was a Bloodhound, it would've been a piece of cake…"

"… Genius, bro!" D1 exclaimed as a sudden idea spurted in his mind.

"Huh?! Me?" D2 wondered. "Why? What did I say?"

"Listen…!" D1 turned to Desmond and his brothers then grabbed some of the black fur from the ground. "I got an idea of how to find the cat!"

D1 then turned around and dashed out the alleyway.

"WAIT!" D3 shouted out to him.

"WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!" D2 fretted.

"D1!" They both yelled in unison.

"KEEP SEARCHING FOR THAT CAT, YOU THREE! JUST TRUST ME!" D1 reassured them as he ran off to the distance.

"Should we go after him?" Desmond asked the brothers.

"Dintcha hear him? D1 said to keep searchin' for that thief!" D3 chided at him. "C'mon! If we waste any more time, that cat's gonna escape with our money."

D2 bumped Desmond on the side. "Just do what D1 told us."

Desmond looked back at the direction D1 ran off to, though, he was gone. He turned his attention to the wounded dog. "Want me to carry you?"

D2 tried stepping on his hurt paw to see if he could walk and whimpered from the pain when he stepped on it.

Desmond laid on the ground. "Get on."

D2 sighed, but knew that was the best option and climbed onto Desmond.

"Alright." He looked at D3, then to D2. "If you're confident in D1, then I'll go along with his wish."

"Then come after me." D3 waved with his paw and headed for the other side of the alleyway.

"From what I remember, I saw it jump from roof to roof… That way!" He pointed to the right at a small park that was a couple of dozen blocks away.

"You think the cat went there?" Desmond asked.

"Not sure, but that's the direction I saw it flee to." D3 replied. "We can start from there and if the cat's not at the park, we'll just continue searchin' elsewhere."

"Okay, let's go, then." Desmond said as he with D2, and D3 went to the park.

The dogs searched every centimeter of the park, but there wasn't a single trace of the black-furred cat there. They then continued searching through streets, alleys, asked several dogs and cats, they even looked at Regent's canal, but Desmond and the two Dimitris couldn't find the cat. After an hour of looking all over Camden non-stop, they finally decided to pause for a quick rest.

"It's useless, guys! Useless!" bleated D2. "We looked everywhere there's to look, and found nothing… That cat probably took the card to the post office already and took the ten thousand pounds."

"C'mon, D2, you can't talk like that. I'm sure we'll find the cat before that happens!" D3 tried assuring his brother. "D1's probably comin' soon."

"What do ya mean 'soon'?!" D2 exclaimed. "It's been so long since D1 left and he hasn't returned yet…!

"I'm warned out from this, let's just go back home… I'm sure the others will understand if—"

"I can't believe ya, D2! Are ya seriously givin' up?! You don't even wanna find that dumb cat to beat the crap out of it for bitin' ya?! Quit your whinin' and start actin' like a real dog!" D3 scolded him. "Just give D1 time, he'll come, I'm sure… Whatever plan he's got, I'm sure it'll help us find that furball."

D2 moved his wounded paw a little, feeling slight pain which reminded him of the doer that caused this. "Gah! You're right… Even if we lose the card, I still wanna pay that cat back for biting my paw!"

"Attaboy!" D3 grinned, then giggled a little. "And… What do ya mean, 'I'm warned out'? Desmond's been carryin' your butt all this time."

"Mentally, I mean mentally I'm warned out, bro." D2 specified.

"I think we can all agree on that, D2." Desmond gave the dog an encouraging smile. "But we have to keep moving.

"Right, D3?"

"Speaking of which—C'mon, we've rested enough." D3 said with a determined look in his eyes. "Time to go get that damn cat!"

Desmond and D2 nodded, and the dogs continued their search with more determination to fine the black-furred cat.

* * *

_There, it should be safe here._ the cat thought to itself as it hid the scratchcard in a shrub that was located in Regent's Park, outside Camden.

"Now, to make sure those dogs aren't following me anymore." The cat headed towards Camden again.

As the cat was nearing the outer circle of the park, it abruptly paused when it saw the three dogs that it was trying to lose.

"There he is! Get him!" D3 yelled as he and Desmond rushed towards the cat.

 _How did they find me…?!_ the cat quickly started running towards the opposite direction, just to be met with a sudden burst of dirt from underneath him as a Dalmatian sprung out the ground.

"Ahh!" the cat got startled and froze in place when another Dalmatian exited the hole as well.

"Heya~" D1 greeted the cat through his fangs as he shook mud off his fur.

"Nice job, sniffing him out, Diesel!" D1 patted his brother on the head, then turned to the cat. "As for you…"

The cat turned around to try and run, only to be met with three dogs, growling at him in anger.

"H-H-How…?!" The black-furred cat's voice shivered in panic. "How did you find me?! I thought I got you off my tail!"

"Hehe!" D1 chuckled as he began approaching the cat. "You thought you could get away, but I bet you had no idea that we had a Bloodhound of our own, did you?"

* * *

**One Hour Ago.**

* * *

"Dolly! Where's Diesel?!" D1 spurt out at his sister. "It's urgent!"

"In the backyard." she pointed.

D1 dashed passed her and through the hallway.

"WAIT! Where are Des and the other Dimitris?!" Dolly shouted out to him. "And the money?!"

"I'll tell you later, sis!" he yelled back to her.

When D1 reached the backyard, he imminently started looking at the holes for Diesel.

"DIESEL! DIESEL, WHERE ARE YOU, SHOW YOURSELF!"

Diesel reared his head out from a hole, behind D1. "Yeah, D1… What is it…?"

D1 turned his head to face his younger brother. "There you are! Listen, I need your help, it's serious!"

"Here…" D1 dropped the black fur on the ground. "I want you to find someone for me."

Diesel looked a bit confused but quickly understood what his brother wanted. "Sure… I can find that someone…"

Diesel began smelling the fur, he rose his head and sniffed the air and instantly located the cat's whereabouts as well as the cat's appearance.

"… It's a cat… A Bombay cat… It's a boy… Right now he's… outside Camden." Diesel answered his brother.

"Outside Camden?!" D1 tilted his head in surprise. "Where, though? Where is he exactly?"

Diesel took another sniff from the air. "… Regent's Park…"

"GREAT!" D1 bubbled. "Can you lead me to where exactly in Regent's Park?"

Diesel nodded with a smile.

"Then lead the way!" D1 exulted.

* * *

"Which way now?" D1 asked Diesel as they were running through the streets.

Diesel took another sniff from the air. "To the right…!"

As the two of them were entering Oval Road, Diesel caught onto three other scents, familiar to him.

"D1… D1!" Diesel turned to his brother. "Desmond, Dimitri 2, and Dimitri 3 are somewhere around here…!"

"Huh?! That so?" D1 paused for a moment. "Can you locate them?"

"Uh-huh…!" Diesel began to smell the air around him and immediately located the three dogs. "This way…!"

D1 followed his brother, and it didn't take Diesel long to find the other Dimitris and Desmond.

"There they are! GUYS! GUYS!" D1 yelled out to them.

Desmond and the Dimitris turned around to see D1, along with Diesel, running towards them.

"D1!" D2 and D3 chirped in unison.

 _Took him long enough._ Desmond though as he smiled at D1.

"What took ya so long, dude?!" D3 greeted his brother with a bump on the shoulder. "We got worried ya just left us."

"No way! I just needed a bit more time, that's all." D1 returned the bump.

"Thank dog, you're back D1." D2 said with huge relief in his voice.

D2 and D3 then noticed Diesel right behind D1.

"Diesel?!" D3 sputtered. "Why brin' him, bro?!"

D1 pocked Diesel on his nose. "We needed a Bloodhound, right?"

The three dogs quickly realized what D1 meant.

"Ah, yeah! Diesel can sniff the cat out!" D3 exclaimed. "You're a genius, bro!"

"D2 actually gave me the idea." D1 admitted then walked up to him. "Your paw?"

"Still hurts like hell, but I'll manage." D2 reassured his brother.

"Thanks for carrying him, Desmond." D1 looked him in the eyes. "I appreciate it."

"Don't mention it." Desmond smiled at him. "Anyway. You're telling me, Diesel here can sniff out the cat?"

"Yeah! He even told me some things about the cat as well." D1 walked up to Diesel. "But right now, it seems our thief's currently in Reagent's Park."

D3 slapped his forehead. "Well, no freakin' wonder we couldn't find him in Camden, The damn furball's outside the district!"

"So what do we do now…?" Desmond asked D1. "Do we just go directly to him or call the police?"

"No, no, no." D1 waved his paw left and right. "We pay him back first, then we call the cops."

"Now listen, here's how we're gonna do this…"

* * *

**Present Time.**

* * *

"Now start talking, cat! What did you do with the scratchcard?!" D1 pinned him down on the ground. "But first start with your name!"

"OKAY! OKAY!" the cat fretted. "Please! Just… Don't eat me…!"

"… Listening!" D1 frowned at the cat.

"M-My name's Bernard." He answered.

"Alright then, Bernie… Mind if call you Bernie?"

"… N-N-N—"

"WELL, DO YOU!" D1 shouted at him in anger.

"NO, NO, NO! I don't mind at all!" Bernard got startled.

"So, the scratchcard?" D1 pressed the cat's chest with his paw.

"I hid it in a nearby shrub."

"And… How do I know you're not lying, huh?" D1 extended his claws and pressed harder onto Bernard's chest.

"I'll… I'll show you! I swear, I'm not lying!" Bernard begged.

"… Fine." D1 got up from him then grabbed his tail. "I'll be holding onto your tail until we reach that shrub. You don't mind, do ya, Bernie?"

"Get me down." D2 muttered to Desmond. "Oh, and… Uh… D3, turn Diesel around and plug his ears real quick."

D3 grabbed Diesel by the head, spun him around, and put his paws on the pup's ears.

As soon as Desmond lied on the ground, letting D2 get off his back, D2 rushed over to the cat.

Bernard stood up, but as he was about to reply, he felt someone tapping him on the back. He turned around only to be met with a vicious headbutt from D2.

"That's for my paw, you furball-spitting prick!" D2 growled.

"Ahh…!" the cat moaned in pain as he rubbed his head. "… Alright… Alright, I deserved it…"

"Okay. Now, show us where the card is." D1 ordered as he still held Bernard by his tail. "And no cheap tricks, you hear?"

"Or else…" D1 pointed at Desmond. "See that tall guy over there? His favorite snack is cats."

Bernard took a look at Desmond and instantly got frightened from the dog's size.

D3 bumped Desmond on the side, dragging his attention to him.

"Play along." he whispered to Desmond.

"… Got you!" Desmond whispered back, then walked up to the cat and loomed over him. "How about I bite an ear off before you show us that shrub? I've been starving since the morning."

Bernard's ears dropped and his heart skipped a beat when he heard the dog, that towered over him say this.

"Hold it, Desmond!" D1 smirked. "Only if he tries something funny."

"Go on, Bernie. To the shrub." D1 yanked him by the tail.

Bernard walked them to the shrub where he hid the scratchcard, pulled it out, and gave it back to the dogs.

"Here… now, please let me go." Bernard beseeched the dogs.

"Well, well, well…" D1 waved the card and wondered as he played with the cat's tail. "We got our card back and D2 paid you back for biting him, but you still committed a crime… So we should call the cops on you, don't you think, Bernie?"

"OH NO! PLEASE, DON'T! I BEG YOU!" Bernard started sweating from dread.

D1 turned to his brothers. "Well? What do you guys think? Let him off or call the cops?

"Well… I got to smack him, so I don't care what happens to him." D2 nonchalantly replied.

"Whatever you wanna do with him, D1." Answered D3.

"Hmm…" D1 gave it a though. "How about this… We'll let you off if we never see you around Camden again. Got it?!"

"Yeah, yeah! Whatever you want! I'll even move out of London if you say!" Bernard shivered.

D1 let go of his tail. "Beat it!"

"Wait!" Desmond yelled to the cat before it could flee. "Why did you stole it?"

D1 turned to Desmond with a frown. "What do you think you're doing, Desmond?!"

"I want to know why he did it." Desmond answered him.

D1 rushed up to Desmond and glared him in the eyes. "Why do you care? He's a thief, that's why he stole it!

"… Don't tell me you want to defend some stupid thief?!"

"Of course not, don't be ridiculous!" Desmond sternly affirmed. "But there's always a motive behind an action, I want to know what's his."

"HUMPH! Do what you want!" D1 turned away from Desmond. "Whatever sob story he tells you, know that it's probably made up."

Desmond slowly approached the cat as to not scare him. "Don't worry, I wasn't really going to eat you, so tell me, why did you do it?"

"I… did it out of desperation." Bernard replied, his voice cracking a bit as he still was intimidated by Desmond. "… I did it because I owe some cats money, you see…? And I've been searching for ways of getting the amount I owe them myself, but nothing worked. And so…

"As you can see, I have no collar on me, I'm just a stray cat… Opportunities for jobs aren't… exactly opened for animals like me. Since those cats shortened the time I have to get them back their money, I got really desperate… That meant getting the money in whatever way possible… And if I don't make it until next week… I don't even want to think about it."

"…." Desmond paused for a moment as he processed all of that.

The three brothers were listening from the side and were frowning, not from anger, but pity, after hearing Bernard's story.

"Sheesh…!" D1 murmured out. _I know I said it's probably a made-up story… But still…_

D1 looked at Bernard and saw the sincere expression on his face. _And that look…_

D2 and D3 noticed it as well.

"Kind of feel bad that I headbutted him now…" D2 murmured to himself. _Even if he did bite me…_

D2 then glanced at his brothers. _Desperation, huh…? We three know that feeling._

"Argh! Damn this!" D3 stomped on the ground in frustration. _No collar! No home…! It's like looking in a mirror, curse it...!_

"D1…?" D2 whisper to his brother. "What should we—"

D1 abruptly stepped forward, cutting his brother off. "Hey! Bernard!"

Bernard jerked his head at the dog.

"Come over here."

"What?" the cat cautiously walked up to him.

"Is… All that you just said true?"

"Y-Yes, I was honest" Bernard nodded his head.

 _GAH! I can't believe I'm gonna say this…_ D1 thought to himself. "We'll… We'll help you with the money."

The cat's ears pricked up in surprise. "You will…? Why, though?"

"DON'T QUESTION D1, YOU DUMB CAT!" D3 burst out at him.

"Sorry!" Bernard took a step back.

D3 composed himself. "Be grateful we're helpin' ya at all."

D2 sat down, thinking for a moment then eyed the cat. "Look! It's not as if we changed our mind about ya, it's just we… Umm… Kind of know where you're coming from… Ya know…"

D1 sat in front of Bernard. "Here's what we'll do…"

 _'Kind of know where you're coming from'?_ Desmond wondered at that moment to himself. _Were they strays, those three? Earlier I was left with the impression that they may just like Delilah more since they didn't mention Doug when they were talking about their names, but… Hearing this now…_

 _I might be jumping to conclusions, but did Delilah took them from the streets…?_ Desmond thought. _…Better not to question them about it._

"Hey, Desmond!" D1 yelled to him. "You daydreaming or something? Come on, we're heading to the post office!"

Desmond turned to Diesel, who was sitting next to him. "Come on, Diesel."

"Okay…" Diesel said as he followed Desmond and the Dimitris.

* * *

"… Err… I'm getting worried, guys." D2 told his brother as the three dogs, along with Diesel, waited outside the post office for Desmond. "He's been in there for a while now."

"Think he got into trouble?" D3 asked D1.

"Give him time, it'll be okay." D1 tried assuring his brothers. "There's probably some additional things he has to do before getting the money… I think."

The door of the office suddenly opened and out came Desmond. The trio and Diesel quickly ran over to Desmond when they saw him.

"Well?! Well?!" D2 spurted out.

"Did they tell ya to get lost?" D3 asked.

"Desmond, tell us!" Inquired D1.

"Well…" Desmond hesitated.

The three dogs perked their ears, awaiting with impatience for Desmond's answer.

"Seems that you won't be getting the money—"

"WHAT?!" the trio exclaimed in shock.

"Hold it… I didn't finish." Desmond told them. "You won't be getting the money right away."

The trio tilted their heads in wonder.

"When, then?" D1 asked.

"In three days!" Desmond told them.

"HAHAHA!" the trio chorused as they jumped in joy. "YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!"

"Oh! Wait, wait, wait!" D1 though for a bit. "So it did work! You fooled them then?!"

"Wasn't easy, but as Dylan said, my mature appearance did the trick." Desmond smiled.

"One more thing…" Desmond made a serious look. "You were right not to wait for your parents to come get the money for you."

The trio stopped jumping when they heard this.

"Why?" D1 questioned.

"The scratchcard had an expiration date, which ends today. This post office closes at 5 pm, the same time your parents' shifts end. So if you waited for them, you would've lost your chance for the ten thousand pounds." He told them.

The three dogs stood shaken by this revelation.

"Phew! Guess we dodged a bullet there, ah, guys?" D2 said nervously.

"Ya said it…" D3 agreed.

"Well, whatever." D1 said. "The important thing is that we managed to get the money in time, right?"

D2 and D3 looked at each other and nodded.

"So how about we show our gratitude to Desmond, you two?" D1 winked at them.

The Dimitris then jumped on Desmond, wrapping their paws around him.

"Ya know…" D3 smirked. "Don't let this get to your head, tower-dog, but you can be kinda cool!"

"We could make a fierce dog out of ya." D2 chuckled. "Ya really sounded like ya were gonna eat Bernard back there."

Desmond couldn't help but grin from the Dimitris' amicable attitude.

 _Hehe… What got into them all of a sudden?_ Desmond thought.

"Well, okay. Let's go tell your family the good news." Desmond told them.

"Yeah! Time to head home!" D1 stated.

* * *

"How's your paw, D2?" D1 walked into the backyard.

"Getting better… Still kind of hurts a little, though." D2 giggled. "So, what happened with the money?"

"As we said, everyone will get their share of the ten thousand pounds. Half of the money will be kept by mum and dad, however, since some of the pups are too young to be entrusted with that much money." D1 told him.

"Still can't believe mum fell for the excuse that you bit your own paw." Laughed D1. "I bet everyone now thinks you're stupid or something."

"Z-Zip it!" D2 frowned. "It was the only excuse that came to my mind at that moment."

D1 looked around the backyard, trying to find his other brother. "Where's D3?"

"Huh? Oh… Doing something with Diesel." D2 replied.

"With Diesel…?!" D1 wondered.

* * *

"Agh! What's takin' him so long?!" D3 was stomping on the floor in the living room.

Diesel then entered the room as he sniffed the air. His nose led him to a bone D3 place in his bowl. "Oh! Bone, Yummy…"

He then quickly noticed D3 standing over him. "Ah…! D3 is this your bone again…? Sor—"

"Nah." D3 interrupted him. "No need to apologize. Go ahead, you can have it."

Diesel wagged his tail. "Really…?!"

"Yeah, it's… for helpin' us today." D3 put a paw on his younger brother's head. "Without ya, we wouldn't have found Bernard, ya know?"

"Thanks, Dimitri 3…!" Diesel grabbed the bone and went back to his room.

"But only this once!" yelled out D3 to him. "I don't wanna see ya touchin' any other of mah bones, got it?!"

D3 then headed to the backyard.

* * *

"And what's it that he wants to do with Diesel?" D1 questioned.

"He—" D2 paused when he saw D3 walking out the house. "Speaking of him…"

"Hey, what's up, guys?" D3 greeted his brothers.

"What were you doing with Diesel?" asked D1. "Better not—"

"Don't worry! I didn't bother him! Jeez!" D3 scowled at D1. "Just had a word with him."

"So… Err… Ya think givin' our share of the money to Bernard was a good idea?" D3 asked D1 as he sat on the ground.

"We agreed that we'll help him and in return he'd owe us, right?" D1 sat next to him. "Why are you still thinking about it? You agreed too…"

D1 started lightly banging D3 on the head. "Or did you forget?"

"Knock it off!" D3 shoved D1's paw to the side. "Ya can be such a douche sometimes!"

"You're the one to talk." Chuckled D1.

"But now, the three of us are completely stone broke, though." Sniffled D3 as he laid on the ground.

"Yeah… That sucks." D1 admitted.

"Though…" D2 sat next to his brothers as well. "I… For some reason… Don't feel that bad that we gave our share to Bernard…

"I don't know what it is, but helping him out makes me feel some kind of… satisfaction."

"Hah…?!" D1 wondered. "Guess I feel the same way."

"You, D3?" he rubbed him on the back.

"… I'm happy that our family got the money, at least." Said D3 then pondered for a second. "… Same."

D1 exhaled then looked at his brothers and made a small smile. "You two shouldn't worry about it that much. We'll find a way to get some money, right?"

"Guess so…?" said D2 and D3 in unison, tilting their heads in uncertainty.

"Hah?! What's with those faces, you two?!" D1 grabbed his brothers and pulled then in for a hug. "Cheer up, will you! 'the Dimitri Trio' always prevails, no matter what, RIGHT?!"

The two brothers eyed each other and nodded together.

"YEAH!" they affirmed in unison.

"That's my little bros!" smiled D1. "Now come on! It's dinner time."

"Alright! The adventure today left me starving." D2 said.

"Same here." D3 agreed.

The trio made their way back to their house, reassured that there's nothing the three of them can't accomplish if they faced it together.


	10. 13 Downhill Street, Part 1

_Almost done…_ Thought Dante as he dyed his fur in black, looking at himself in the bathroom's mirror.

He added some purple spots on his left ear and paws. Adding dark pink dye to his lower eyelids, Dante finished dyeing his fur.

"Err…" Dante took a last look in the mirror, making sure that he applied dye everywhere. "Hope I didn't miss a spot."

"Seems I'm all good." Dante took his spiky collar that he removed before dyeing his fur and put it on. He then examined the metal spikes. "… When did they get this dirty? Better clean them before I go out."

Dante then heard a sudden knock on the door.

"Dante! Hurry up in there, it's almost time!" Dolly told her brother through the door.

"Give me a minute, Dolly." Dante answered her back.

He took a towel, soaked it in water, and quickly cleaned the spikes on his collar.

Dante took a last look in the mirror. "Alright, all set."

He went out of the bathroom and into the second floor's hallway where his older sister was waiting for him.

"Finally!" Dolly growled. "Why does it always take you so much time to dye yourself?"

"Because I put it on my whole body, sis. That takes some time, and I also had to clean my collar too." Dante then looked around. "Is everyone in their rooms?"

"Yeah. Mom and dad are slipping right now… Though…" Dolly looked from the top of the staircase to the living room. "Dylan's still cleaning the living room, but don't sweat it, I'll distract him."

"He already counted us, so I doubt he'll check if I'm in my room." Dante said.

"When were ya supposed to head out?" Dolly turned to him.

"10 pm." Dante answered.

"Oh! Then we should hurry. Cuz it's 9:55 pm. right now." She urged.

"When did—" Dante was about to ask when Dolly quickly shut his mouth with her paw.

"Not so loud." Dolly whispered. "Dylan will hear ya."

Dolly let go of her brother's muzzle then pointed to the main door. "Now follow me and try to be quiet, okay?"

The two dogs quietly made their way down the stairs.

As they did, Dolly whispered to Dante. "He'll hear the scanner unlock, so wait until I get him out of the living room first, okay?"

"Yeah, alright." Dante nodded.

When they reached the bottom of the staircase Dolly gestured to Dante to head for the main door. She then went into the living room.

Dylan noticed his sister as he continued cleaning the room. "What is it, Dolly?"

"Bro! Ya gotta come, quick! Diesel vomited all over the floor in his room!" Dolly urged with a panicked voice.

"WHAT! Again?!" Dylan exclaimed. "That's his fourth time this week. Didn't the pills mum gave him work?"

"C'mon on! Come quick!" Dolly insisted.

"Yeah, yeah, right!" Dylan rushed out of the room.

As he did, Dolly suddenly remembered that Dante was waiting at the main door and jolted, realizing that Dylan was about to see him. She quickly went after him.

"Wait, Dyl—" she paused when she saw that Dante was nowhere to be found in the hallway.

"What?!" Dylan asked her as he climbed the stairs.

Dolly looked to her left and right wondering where Dante had gone.

"Grab the mop!" Dylan told her. "And hurry!"

He continued to Diesel's room.

Dolly was still pondering on where her younger brother went when she heard:

"Psst!"

She turned her head to the direction of the sound, which led to a dark, shadowy corner of the hallway. Dolly squinted and noticed Dante in the corner.

"There ya are!" she chuckled.

Dante winked at her and moved out of the shadow.

"Ya should think about working as a spy, ya know?" Dolly joked.

"Not my thing." Dante replied, then put his paw on the scanner, unlocking the door.

"Remember!" Dolly stopped him before he headed out. "Come back before the sun rises. And ya owe me for this one."

"I know…" Dante then made an almost unnoticeable smile. "Thanks!"

Dolly smile back at him "Have fun!"

With that, Dante exited the house through the pet door, and Dolly made her way to Diesel's room, expecting Dylan to scold her for lying.

* * *

As Dante walked down the porch stairs, he quickly noticed the thick mist surrounding him. "Still here? Not that I mind it, but I'm sure the news said the mist should've disappeared earlier today by now… Oh, well…"

Dante rose his head, taking a look at the glowing, silver moon. The moon's glow was one of Dante's favorite things to stare at during the night. The street lights were illuminating the sidewalks, and the mist was giving the area an arcane feel that Dante enjoyed very much.

He then looked around, checking if there was anyone on the street. When he saw he was all alone, Dante headed for the one place he was anticipating for a whole week.

 _Let's see… She told me to meet her half an hour from now._ Dante thought to himself as he walked on the sidewalk. _Better rush it then. Downhill Street's a long way from here._

Dante sped-up his pace as he continued down on Chalk Farm Rd.

* * *

"Phew…! That was a good jog!" Desmond panted, returning from the park. "Should probably stop jogging this late, Dylan did tell me that it's very dangerous going out after sunset."

As Desmond was heading back to his house, he noticed a dark figure passing by through the street in the distance. Out of curiosity, he decided to see what it was, and warily followed after it.

 _Is it Slade again?_ Desmond wondered as he made sure to keep his distance.

After a couple of blocks, the figure suddenly vanished into the mist, which made Desmond pause.

"Where did it…" he walked up to where he last saw the figure. "I know this mist is dense, but vanishing like tha—"

Desmond unexpectedly got pulled by his collar into an alley and was slammed to a wall.

 _CARP! I'm going to get robbed?!_ Desmond thought as he panicked, but upon a closer look, he realized that the one standing in front of him was the gloomy, inverse coated dog.

"D-Desmond?!" Dante blurted in surprise.

Dante then looked from the alley's corner to see if there was anyone else with Desmond. Seeing that Desmond was all by himself, Dante turned his attention back at him.

"Why were you following me…?" Dante stared at him. "Are you spying on me?"

"No, no! Don't misunderstand, I just thought you were someone else." Desmond tried to explain. "I'm honest."

"Aha…" Dante huffed. "Why didn't you just catch up to me or call out to me, if you mistook me for someone you know then?"

"… Well… I—"

"And for who exactly did you mistook me for?" Dante interrupted him. "From what I know, the only ones you know are me and my family.

"It can't be a friend since you told us your friends are back in Romania. So talk."

 _Damn! What do I tell him…?_ Desmond thought, looking Dante right in the eyes. _Better make something up fast…_

"… A-Alright… To… answer your first question, Dante, I didn't call out to you because the only thing I could see in this mist was a faint figure. I kept my distance until I was sure that the one I was following was the person I mistook you for." Desmond told him. "As for the one I confused you with, my parents called me yesterday to tell me they had a friend, a bulldog, living in London, around Camden, who wanted to meet me. Since I moved in recently, he thought that he could help me settle in better.

"That's it. I wasn't spying on you, Dante."

Dante pondered a little, still cornering Desmond to the wall, before letting him go and moved out of the alley.

"Fine. If that's it, then go back home." Dante stated then headed back to his destination through the mist.

Desmond walked out the alley and stared at the Dante as he moved away from him, getting more and more obscured from the now growing mist.

"Dante…" Desmond murmured to himself. "What's up with him? Ever since the time we first met, he's been keeping away from me, not to mention his constant stalking…"

"Could he…" As Desmond was thinking, he began to subconsciously follow after Dante. "… Be suspecting me…? No, that can't be. How could he? I made sure to act as normal as possible, I'm certain I didn't accidentally give out any sort of information that'd make Dante think I'm anything more than an ordinary neighbor… And yet…

"He's always so vigilant around me."

"Damn it, Dante! Why do you have to be paranoid about everything…?!" Desmond sped-up his pace. "If this continues, he may actually figure out what I'm here for."

 _I have to convince him that I mean no harm and that I have no ill-willed motives._ Desmond thought as he was nearing Dante. _I need him to trust me!_

Desmond caught up to Dante and began walking by his side.

"You still stalking me?" Dante turned to him with an agitated expression.

 _You're the one to talk._ Desmond thought, getting a bit annoyed.

"Not stalking…" Desmond forced out a giggle. "I'm walking by your side, aren't I? I just wanted to talk with you."

"Not interested in any small talk." Dante nonchalantly replied. "Besides, weren't you expecting that bulldog to come?"

"Well, my parents mentioned that he's forgetful, so it won't surprise me if he doesn't show up today…" Desmond said.

"… If you say so." Dante answered. "Now leave me alone."

"Hey now! I don't want to bother or intrude, but I thought that since I answered your questions earlier, you can answer some of mine… One in particular…"

Dante sighed and rose an ear. "Ask."

"Why don't you communicate with me?" Desmond asked, making sure the question didn't come off as sounding too serious, so as not to raise suspicion in the gloomy dog. "I thought that maybe you just needed some time to get used to me, but ever since my arrival, you've been distancing yourself from me more and more with each day."

Dante stopped in his tracks and looked up at Desmond. "… Why are you so concerned?"

"Everyone else in your family interacts with me, Dante." Desmond stopped as well and sat in front of him. "The Dimitris didn't talk to me all that much too, but they ended up liking me… With you… Umm… I'm just worried that you might be spending your time mostly alone. I've told you how much that can harm a person, right? And if you don't have any friends or it's hard for you to make any… I'd like to be a friend!"

Dante was taken aback when he heard this.

 _… Is that it?!_ Dante thought. _He's just worried about me…?_

_Well, judging by his expression and voice, it doesn't seem like he's lying…_

Dante looked to the side for a moment and pondered. _This… Might be a good opportunity to learn if he's any trouble or not. Thus far, I've only been able to observe him from distance, but now, he's offering to spend time with me… Might as well…_

Dante turned back at Desmond. "So… You wanna be friends, then?"

"Yes!" Desmond smiled.

Dante rolled his eyes then mimicked Desmond's expression. "How about a challenge, then?"

Desmond frowned, puzzled. "A challenge?"

"Yeah, listen. I'm heading to Downhill Street. Know where that is?" Dante asked.

"No, I've never heard of it."

"Are you superstitious?" Dante asked him.

Desmond shook his head in disagreement.

"There's an urban tale…" Dante told him. "The tale goes that there's an abandoned house on the street, numbered 13, and if you go in it, weird things start happening."

"Oh…! Like?" Desmond got curious.

"Anyone who's been there says they've heard voices and odd noises, or have seen figures appearing and disappearing…" Dante said. "Call them ghosts if you want."

"You think it's true?" Desmond asked.

"No, of course not." Dante laughed it off. "But I do like a good scare and an eerie atmosphere, so I decided to check it out."

Desmond squinted. "What does that have to do with the challenge?"

"Not a lot of dogs in Camden are into scary things, and that's why I don't have many friends… I'll admit. If you, too, don't like creepy things, I'm not sure we would get along all that much." Dante stated. "The challenge is to spend the night in that house. You in?"

 _There. This is my chance to get along with him._ Desmond thought then perked his ears. "Yeah, I'm in."

 _Alright… Now I'll get to see what kind of dog you are, Desmond._ Dante thought to himself. _After all, people often show their true colors when they're scared._

Dante waved with his paw for Desmond to follow him. The two continued towards Downhill St.

"You know, you're pretty strong for your size." Desmond admitted.

"You mean when I pulled and slammed you in that alley?" Dante asked. "Don't let size fool you, Desmond, you should know that."

"Hey, you mind if we hurry up?" Dante bumped him on the side. "There's a dog I'm expecting. She and I agreed to meet before entering Downhill Street. And the two of us already lost time questioning each other."

"Sure." Desmond replied, then he and Dante began running down the sidewalk.

* * *

When the two dogs arrived at the meeting point, Dante was surprised to find out that the dog he was expecting was nowhere to be found.

"Weird … She's usually not the type of dog to be late." Dante huffed. "Guess we came early, then."

"Who exactly are we waiting for?" Desmond asked.

Dante began surveying the area, but it was hard for him since the mist had grown into a thick, greyish fog that had engulfed the whole city. And only the moon, along with the street lights' glow, were the only things somewhat visible.

"Be on the look-out for a tall poodle with black hair."

"Kind of hard with all this fog surrounding us." Desmond said.

Dante and Desmond sat next to each other and waited, checking from time to time for the poodle.

"So... A poodle, huh?" Desmond wondered. "How old?"

"She's your age." Dante replied as he looked to the side.

"Is she your girlfriend?"

"That's none of your business." Dante slightly pouted as he squinted at Desmond.

"Just asking." Desmond anxiously responded.

"You know, you're lucky it's summer and the nights aren't cold."

"I've been out during winter nights too, it's not that bad, actually." Dante replied.

"Warm-blooded, eh?" Desmond tittered. "Same here!"

"Humph…" Dante shrugged.

Dante then caught sight of someone emerging from the fog.

He nudged Desmond, drawing his attention, then gestured with his head towards the silhouette that was approaching them.

Desmond squinted to get a better view of it. It was the poodle, her hair was curly and had a glossy appearance, she had purple fur, had several accessories on her body, and wore a pink collar with a light-green tag that ended with a red heart-shaped jewel.

"There she is." Dante walked up to her. "Hello, Portia."

"Hello, Dante." she greeted him. "Such a charming fog, isn't it?"

"Indeed, it is." Dante agreed.

"And who's this?" Portia approached Desmond. "A relative of yours?"

Standing a head shorter than him, Portia tilted her head back to look Desmond in the eyes.

"No. He's just a neighbor." Dante specified. "He wanted to join us."

Portia closed in on Desmond and stared him right in the eyes. "… Hmmm… You have such lovely black patches, I'd kill to have them…"

Desmond jerked back a bit from the statement. "Umm… Thank you…"

She began to circle him, examining his body.

"My name's Portia Poodle." she introduced herself as she finished inspecting him.

"Desmond Dots." Desmond rose his paw for a handshake. "Nice to meet you."

Portia looked at his paw then lowered it down with her own. "I don't handshake."

"Okay…" Desmond said, getting a little bewildered by her. "If… we aren't expecting anyone else, shall we proceed on?"

Portia moved closer to Dante and slid her paw along his back. "Shall we…?"

Dante nodded. "Come on, Desmond, let's move."

The dogs walked through the dense fog and not after long, they arrived on Downhill St.

"Now we search for a house numbered 13, right?" Desmond asked.

"Yeah." Dante glanced at the houses surrounding them. "With this fog in the way, it's gonna be a pain to find it, but that just adds to the fun."

"Plus…" Portia added. "We have the whole night to ourselves. There's no need to hurry."

The three began looking for the house, having to move close to the other houses to check for their numbers, since the fog made it almost impossible to see anything more than two meters away.

And finally, after a while, the dogs found the abandoned house they were looking for. They saw that the house was in poor condition, it was ran-down essentially. Some of the windows were sealed shut while others were broken, allowing the fog to enter through them. The wooden fence, surrounding the house, was broken in several places and the gates were shut with chains.

"Oh yes…" Portia smirked and waved her tail. "This promises to be quite the thrill."

"How are we going to get in?" Desmond questioned the two dogs.

"From what I've heard, there should be a hole under the fence somewhere around here." Dante replied. "We'll go through it."

"Aha…" Desmond said with indifference.

"It should be near the corner of the fence." Dante began searching. "… Found it."

"Big enough even for you, Desmond… Thought it would be smaller, though." Dante entered the hole and emerged from the other side of the fence. As he did, he felt the wet overgrown grass under his paws. "Didn't think there'd be grass growing here..."

Portia followed after him, and Desmond was the last to enter the hole.

Now that the dogs had a better view of the house, all of them felt an unnerving sensation as they watched the ominous house.

"Oh…!" Desmond fretted. "It's more sinister up-close…"

"It is!" Dante and Portia said in unison as they tried not to show their excitement.

"Are we going in?" Desmond asked.

"I'd like to check around the house first. You don't mind, do you, Dante?" Portia turned to him.

"Of course not." Dante replied. "Saving the best for last, huh?"

"You know me." Portia winked at him, then headed for the house's backyard.

Dante and Desmond went after her and as the three walked past the house, a sudden bone-chilling gust of wind blew right through them, making the dogs pause on the spot.

"Damn… I'm getting goosebumps all over my body." Dante gave Portia a small smile.

"Say that again. That gust sent shivers down my spine." Portia simpered and proceed to the backyard.

Desmond bumped Dante by the side. "Say, Dante… I was wondering, don't you have a curfew? Won't your parents be worried about you?"

"I had Dolly cover for me." Dante told him. "But… err… don't tell anyone I've been here, okay?"

"Alright." promised Desmond.

Like everything else, the backyard was engulfed in fog. The backyard wasn't big, but it had enough room for a dog to run around. The wooden fence was cover by bushes and there was a large tree in the corner.

"Nothing strange here." Desmond tilted his head. "Thought it'd be creepier…"

Dante pulled Desmond by his tail, making him turn his head around. "How about this…?"

Desmond saw the decrepit backside of the house, the wall was blackened and the windows were all broken with some of the windows' frames hanging out.

"Dear dog, was there a fire here?!" fretted Desmond.

"Seems so. And…" Dante pointed at the grass beneath them. "Look at this. It's hard to notice from the fog, but the grass was also burned."

"Jeez, what happened here?" Desmond frowned in unease.

Just then the two heard a loud creaking coming behind them.

Dante jerked his head back and perked his ears, while Desmond jumped as he got startled and let out a short whimper.

Dante looked at the direction the creaking was coming from and saw Portia, sitting, and swinging a seat connected with chains to a rusty swing, located under the tree.

"There is a swing here?" Dante approached Portia. "How didn't I notice it?"

"Made your blood run cold, didn't it?" smirked Portia.

"Heh! Careful there, Portia, you'll give Desmond a heart attack." Dante joked, then he and she looked over to Desmond, who had his tail between his legs, and was slightly hunched down.

Dante tried holding in laughter when he saw that.

Portia on the other hand, let out a small chortle. "You know, he's cute when he gets frightened."

"Yeah, I agree." giggled Dante. "Come on, Desmond! You're a big dog and you get scared from a swing?"

"Hey, I'm not used to these kinds of things like you two." Desmond walked up to them. "It just reminded me of… Of…"

Desmond and Portia looked at each other, confused, then turned back at Desmond.

"Reminded you of what?" questioned Dante.

"Nothing, it's not important…" Desmond dismissed. "Anyway, are we going into the house, already?"

"Eager, are you?" Portia stood up and stepped towards him.

"Sure you want to go on? If you're scared, you can turn around and run back home." she teased as she walked past him. "By the way, your tail's still between your legs."

Desmond blushed from embarrassment and threw Portia a glare as she made her way towards the front of the house.

"Hehe. You're such a treat, you know that?" Dante tapped him on the back. "Come. There'll be more things to be alarmed about in the house."

 _Do they enjoy scaring me…?_ Desmond thought as he grimaced in agitation. _What the heck's up with them?!_

* * *

Desmond propped up on the main door of the house. He bit the handle and turned it, opening the door. He then pushed the door open with his paw and a big amount of fog exited through it.

"Ho-ho! That was pretty cool." Dante said as he and Portia stood behind Desmond.

Desmond took a step in, but the moment he did, he quickly withdrew back in a jolt.

"What?!" Dante questioned, while Portia rose an eyebrow. "Why did you jump back like that?"

"Holly…!" exclaimed Desmond. "It's so cold in there!"

"Cold?" Dante and Portia said in unison.

"Brrr…!" Desmond shivered. "It's so odd. Out here it's warm, even though it's night, but it's like you're in a cool store in there…"

"… Aren't you used to the cold?" asked Dante.

"Yeah, but the sudden drop in temperature cough me off-guard."

Dante and Portia smirked at one another and together pushed Desmond through the door, all of them entering the house.

"HEY, HEY, HEY! What are you doing?!" Desmond chided.

"Hehehe… Just screwing with you." Dante told him. "But damn! You weren't kidding, it's freezing in here."

"It's also quite dismal in here…" Portia rubbed her paw. "I love it!"

The three dogs realized that they were in a long hallway. To the left was a staircase that led to a second floor, though, the balustrade was missing. Several rooms were located to the right, some of them were missing doors. The rickety walls were showing cracks in them and the withered paint was flaking off. Plants were sprouting through the floor and walls as well.

"Jeez! This place is a mess." Desmond heaved.

"Achoo!" sneezed Dante. "And it's very dusty."

"Well, it's been abandoned." reminded Portia.

Dante walked in front of Desmond and Portia and huffed. "Alright… Let the fun begin!"


	11. 13 Downhill Street, Part 2

As the dogs were exploring the darkened rooms, Desmond couldn't help but feel overly anxious about the whole place. For Dante and Portia, however, being in a murky, decrepit building was like going to an amusement park.

Most of the rooms were pretty much the same, filled with fog, all having a single window, broken or not, wooden flooring, and dust everywhere. Upon entering the last room, however, Dante stepped onto something sharp, impaling his paw, which made him whimper in pain.

"Ah! Ah…!" Dante moaned.

"You okay?!" Desmond asked with concern.

"What is it?!" Portia worried.

"… I stepped on something sharp." Dante rubbed his paw, then took a look at what pricked him.

"Careful, Dante! Pieces of broken glass are sure to be scattered around this house." Desmond warned.

Portia gently took Dante's paw to examine it. "… It's not deep, but be more cautious."

"Yeah, okay." Dante replied as he pulled back his paw. He then turned to Desmond. "It wasn't glass I stepped on, though."

"Look…" Dante pointed at a plant growing from under the floor, with small, purple spikes protruding from it.

Desmond and Portia inspected the plant when Portia recalled a thought. "You know, I think I've seen this type of plant before. My human keeps such a plant at our house."

"So, what type of plant is it?" Dante asked.

"… I'm not sure. I haven't paid much attention to it, though… There was something about this plant… But for the life of me, I can't remember what it was…" Portia said as she squinted in wonder at the plant.

Desmond took a look in the room and saw plants growing from every side of the walls, especially from the floor. "I know that the rooms we were in had plants in them too, but this…"

"Like a small jungle, huh?" Dante jested. "Watch it! There could be plants like this one in there."

"Yeah. Better continue on through the house." Portia said. "We're done with the first floor anyway."

"Out of the room, Desmond! We're heading to the second floor." Dante told him.

Desmond went out of the room as he was careful not to prick himself on the plant as Dante did. He made his way to the staircase where Dante and Portia were waiting for him and together they began moving towards the next floor.

"Say, how many floors does this house have?" asked Desmond.

"I think… Four or five floors…" Dante replied. "Why ask?"

"Just curious."

"Whatever. So, what do you think about the house up until now?" Dante turned to him. "Does it make you shiver?"

"It… Does make me feel very unnerves, but I suppose that's the whole point, right?" Desmond smiled at him.

"We wouldn't be here otherwise." Portia joined the conversation. "By the way, I don't want to sound rude, but could you leave me and Dante alone for a while when we arrive on the second floor?"

Dante threw Portia an irked stare. "… Portia, I don't think it's a good idea to leave Desmond wandering around the house alone."

Desmond slightly frowned in worry when he heard that. "… No, no! It's fine. If it's something personal, I'll leave you two by yourselves."

"Desmond! I said wandering around here isn't a bright idea." Dante argued.

"I won't wander, I'll just go to one room while you and Portia go to another on the same floor. There!" Desmond assured him. "I'll just ask you not to take long because I dislike the idea of being alone in here."

"Portia and I'll go ahead of you, then." Dante fastened his pace along with Portia. The two quickly climbed the stairs and headed through the hallway to a room to the left. When Desmond stepped on the floor, he turned to the right and went to explore on his own.

"Ouch…!" Desmond jolted back a little when something poked his paw. "What the… Hey! This is… The same plant Dante stepped on…"

Desmond looked at it, recognizing its purple spikes. "It even grows all the way up here…? Very strange. Better watch my step, who knows how many more of these there are here."

He continued through the fog into a room. As he entered it, Desmond quickly noticed a massive hole on the wall that led to a room next to it.

"… Wonder how this happened…?" Desmond walked up to the hole to examine it, then peeked into the other room through it. "Looks as if it was made by someone. The pieces of the wall from the other room are all scattered in this one…"

Desmond jumped through the hole and into the next room. A sudden thought emerged in Desmond's mind which made him hunch a bit in alarm. "… Someone made this hole…?"

Desmond quickly rushed to the pieces of the wall that laid on the ground and slid his paw onto one of them. "… Okay, okay… They're dusty, so this hole was made long ago… For a moment I thought someone else was in this house with us."

Desmond smirked a bit to himself. "Jeez, come on, Desmond… Think logically, if someone was here with us and made this hole, we would've heard it. Heck, even if it was made yesterday, the one who made it would be long gone by now… Hehe, And Dolly says Dante's paranoid."

As Desmond was about to head out, he noticed a blurry silhouette of a dog, staring at him from the corner of the door. That made Desmond frieze in place and gasp. A moment later, the dog vanished, which made him shake his head in confusion.

"What…?" Desmond looked to his side and turned his head to look back, but the dog was nowhere to be found. "What… Was that just now…?"

Desmond slowly and carefully made his way out of the room and into the hallway. "Let's see… What did Dante say…? Strange figures appeared and noises are heard when you're in here, but it's all made up, I'm sure."

_Desmond…_

Desmond's ears perked up when he heard the voice. He jerked his head in the direction of the voice, which led to the end of the hallway. Desmond couldn't see if there was anyone there from the thick fog. His eyes widened and his fur stood up, not because whoever said his name didn't sound like Dante or Portia, but because Desmond recognized the voice well enough.

"… No… No way…!" Desmond rushed over to the end of the hallway. There, he found himself at the bottom of another staircase that led to the third floor.

_Desmond…_

He heard the same voice again, this time coming from the top of the stairs. Without thinking, Desmond began climbing the staircase, following the voice as it continued calling out to him, getting further away from the other two dogs.

* * *

"What is it, Portia?" Dante sat next to her. "Is this about Desmond?"

As Portia was looking out from a dirty window, she took some time to collect her thoughts, then turned her attention at Dante. "No. It's something else… I didn't call you here with me just for the sinister atmosphere… I wanted to talk about _us_ …"

"I see, that's why you wanted to be alone with me…" Dante understood. "What's on your mind?"

Portia moved in closer to Dante and put her paw on his. "Thus far… How do you feel about us…?"

"Fine… Err… Well, to be exact…" Dante looked at the floor. "You—"

Portia rubbed his paw. "Look at me when we're talking."

Dante fixed his eyes at her. "Sorry… As I was saying, you make me happy, haven't felt happier, honestly. I think… We made a good decision when we began dating… Of course, I'd like to know how you feel about this too."

Portia pressed her body, gently, towards Dante's and began fondling his paw. "I can express myself more freely with you, Dante… This relationship of ours, genuinely makes my heart throb in pleasure, and you know how hard that is to do."

Dante let out a giggle as Portia said that. "I sure do know."

"Well…" she continued. "I'm glad that you think this way."

Dante smiled. "Funny how this whole thing started out as just a test, huh?"

"It may have started as such, but I'm happy that it developed into something more…" Portia chuckled.

"Though…" he thought.

"Though what?" Portia asked, slightly concerned.

"You were kind of clingy at the beginning." Dante smirked.

"And you were very difficult, you know." She rubbed her nose against his.

Dante closed his eye and leaned his head onto Portia's chest. "I like seeing you show your tender side. You should do it more often."

Portia slid her paw down his back, making him tremble a little. "Only with you…"

"I have to keep my image around others after all." she added. "Have you told anyone about us?"

"No, not yet." Dante confessed. "However, seeing as how our relationship is working out fine, I'm thinking of doing it soon."

"You?"

"I'm thinking about the same thing." Portia said then wrapped her paws around Dante. "Sorry for making you keep this a secret for so long. I just wanted to make sure this relationship was genuine before making it known."

"Yeah, yeah, I get you…" Dante pondered on a thought. "Say, how long has it been?"

Portia rubbed her head. "Almost six months… My, how time flies!"

"Almost six months, huh? Should get you something, then."

"You're more than enough for me…" she put her paw on his chest and softly brushed his black fur.

"Now that we've sorted this out…" Dante spun his head and looked at the rusty door. "I'd like to talk about Desmond."

Portia rolled her eyes when she heard Desmond's name. "Want about him?"

"What do you think of him?"

Portia took a minute to think. "From what I've seen, he kind of seems like a scaredy-cat… Other than that, he seems fine."

"Well, he's been worrying me lately…" Dante began scratching the floor. "I don't know what it is, but I fear that he may be dangerous… I think he could be scheming something."

Dante rubbed his head. "You think I'm being overanxious…?"

Portia sighed then looked Dante in the eyes. "While it's true that you can be, over small things, I say to keep an eye on Desmond if you strongly feel that he could be ill-willed."

"Well… That's my plan, but… I don't want to come to conclusions over a hunch, so I let him come along, that way I'll be able to observe him. If he shows any hints of enmity that will make me more confident in this gut feeling." Dante told her.

"Okay." Portia caressed his ear. "Whatever the outcome, I'm on your side."

Dante took Portia's paw in his. "Thank you."

"Now come on. Desmond might get suspicious if we take too long." Dante said.

He and Portia walked out of the room and began looking for Desmond.

* * *

"Where…?!" Desmond was running up the stairs towards the fourth floor. "Where is it…? That voice!"

He arrived on the floor and started urgently looking all over the place. "I-I don't believe it! How… How is this possible…?!"

_How long is it going to take you…?_

"Where are you?!" Desmond searched every room on the floor, yet couldn't find the source of the voice. "Please, answer me!"

_How long…?_

"SOON…!" Desmond yelled out, now beginning to sweat from uncertainty and confusion. "I promised you, I'll get you out of there, all of you…

"Out from that damn pound…"

The dog's ears perked up when he heard faint creaking noises coming from behind him. Desmond quickly spun his head in alarm and was shocked to discover that the dusty, fog-filled hallway shifted into a bigger, longer one; with a dozen windows lined next to each other to his right, a crimson rug was laid under his paws, and there were several chandeliers above him, but none lit up, and the entire hallway was engulfed in darkness.

"What the…?!" Desmond began berating heavily. "… This hallway is… The same as the one back home…

"No… NO! This can't be. I'm in London, not in that mansion…! Not there!"

The creaking began again, but louder this time and approach from each side making Desmond cower in fear. "No… Not again! Please…

"T-Talk to me! Come on, say something again. Don't leave me in the dark… WHERE ARE YOU!"

_Hurry, Desmond… Hurry…_

Desmond turned around to see again the blurry figure of a dog gazing down on him from the top of the staircase, which led to the last floor. Desmond jumped into a dash towards it only for the silhouette of the dog to vanish when Desmond reached it.

_Hurry, Hurry…!_

"W-What is this…?" Desmond went up the stairs. "Why are you here?! You shouldn't be!"

Desmond hastened his pace as he heard the creaking quickly approach him from behind. "G-GET AWAY! Not again…!

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

* * *

"Portia!" Dante called out to her through the fog. "Did you find him?!"

Portia went out of a room and walked towards Dante. "No, he wasn't in that room too."

"Where did he go then?" Dante rubbed the back of his head. "I saw him turn right and go into one of these rooms… He couldn't have left us, could he?"

"I don't know. It's possible, he did." Portia replied.

"… No, he's here. I haven't interacted that much with him, but I know that Desmond keeps his word, so if he says that he'll be in one of these rooms then he must be." Dante stated.

"But he's not." Portia retorted.

Just then the two silenced themselves and rose their ears when they caught a faint voice coming from above them.

"You hear that?" Portia asked.

"Yeah, defiantly heard it." Dante affirmed. "Ah! There it is again… That sounds like Desmond."

"Upstairs…?" Portia tilted her head, puzzled.

"Why did he…? I told him not to wander around here by himself." Dante scowled.

"Come on!" Dante waved at Portia as he headed for the stairs. "Let's go see what's going on."

Portia followed after him as they headed for the third floor.

* * *

As Desmond reached the top of the stairs, the creaking abruptly ceased, allowing Desmond to catch his breath. He turned around and backed away from the staircase, slowly.

 _What's going on?! Where did Dante and Portia go?!_ Desmond thought to himself as he began panicking.

_Bring them to me, my pet…_

Desmond's ears dropped and he froze when he heard this familiar croaky voice.

 _… Boss…?!_ He thought as he began moving through the fog. _What is she doing here…?!_

_I want those Dalmatians..._

"I… I-I told you, you'll get them…" he replied, trying to contain himself.

Desmond entered one of the dark rooms. There, he saw the figure of an old, slender, pale-skinned woman, with long hair—one-half black, the other half white, staring into Desmond with her bloodshot eyes.

_The Dalmatians…_

_I want them…!_

The woman began approaching him as she reached her arms towards him.

_You'll bring them to me, won't you…?_

_My sweet pet…_

"S-Sto… STOP CALLING ME A PET!" Desmond growled at her then turned around and fled the room.

* * *

"What is he shouting so much about?" Dante wondered as he and Portia were rushing to the fourth floor.

"You think he saw one of those rumored ghosts?" Portia joked.

"Come on, Portia. You and I know there's nothing like that here." Dante replied, then began searching the rooms.

"Desmond! DESMOND!" Dante yelled out, but no one answered back. "Portia, you check here, I'll go look on the fifth floor."

"Sure." Portia walked into one of the rooms, which was a bedroom, while Dante took the stairs.

Portia squinted as she had a hard time seeing through the darkness and dense fog. She walked a little further into the bedroom. With each step, Portia could hear faint crackling sounds underneath her paws. Deciding to dismiss the noise, she looked around the room, but the only thing she saw was an old double bed that had torn sheets and the pillows were scattered across the room.

"Seems like someone had a wild party here…" Portia turned to leave when she realized Desmond wasn't in the room.

"AHH!" The floor under her suddenly gave in and her paw got caught between the boards, making Portia lose her balance. She tumbled down. Portia's fall ruptured the shabby boards and she fell through.

"AHHH!" she screamed, catching Dante's attention, who was half-way up the stairs.

Dante jolted in shock and worry when he heard Portia's scream and ran back down to the room where she was, but the only thing Dante could see was dust. "Portia…?!"

"Down… Here…" Portia uttered through coughs.

Dante was stunned when he saw the giant hole in the floor but instantly ignored it as his mind was focused entirely on Portia's voice. Dante gasped and his eyes were frozen wide open when he looked down and saw Portia coughing and lying onto a sofa, unable to move.

"Portia! Are you alright?! Are you hurt?!" Dante called to her in worry.

"I'm… Alright…" she muttered, looking up to Dante. "The sofa cushioned my fall."

"Stay there and don't move! I'm coming down!" Dante turned and dashed down to the bottom floor.

Arriving on the floor Portia was on, Dante ran through the hallway and searched a couple of rooms when he finally found her, now laying on the ground, struggling to stand.

"Dear…" Dante was speechless, quickly rushing over to her, he helped her stand up. "What happened…?"

"I tried getting off the sofa when—Ahh…!" Portia was cut off by a sharp pain striking her left hind leg. "Damn, it hurts…"

"What?! Are you hurt somewhere?!" Dante inspected her body.

"My left leg… I tried standing, but my leg gave out… jeez! It hurts so much…" Portia yelped. "Other than that, I'm fine."

"Is it fractured?"

"Not sure… I hope not."

"… Curse it… How could this happen?" Dante growled. "This was supposed to be just a fun night… How did it come to this?!"

_It's Desmond's fault…_

"Did he do this, Portia?!" Dante snarled. "Did Desmond push you in that hole?!"

Portia stared at Dante, puzzled. "… N-No, It's not his fault. The floor gave in and I fell through it, Dante… Why would you think Desmond did it?"

"Didn't… Didn't you tell me it was his fault?" Dante asked her as he lower one ear in confusion.

"No. I didn't… When did you hear me say that…?"

"I could swear that…" Dante glanced to the side. "… Umm… Forget it. Think you can walk?"

"If you support me, yes. Otherwise…" she sighed. "… Speaking of Desmond, did you find him anywhere?"

"No. I rushed over, the moment I heard you scream."

Portia pondered for a moment. "Dante…"

"What is it?"

"Go find Desmond and let's get out of this house." Portia stated.

"… Alright, but I'm not leaving you alone."

"Leave me in the hallway, then go get him." she said, sternly.

Dante bit his lip as he contemplated, but decided to listen to Portia and walked her out of the room. Portia propped herself up on the hallway's wall.

Dante stood beside her, making sure she was able to hold herself up, before dashing off towards the stairs. As he did, Dante started hearing shuffling sounds when he advanced through the hallway. Dante paused and turned around to look at Portia, thinking she began moving.

 _… Odd…_ he thought to himself before continuing up the stairs. _I'm sure I heard something moving…_


	12. 13 Downhill Street, Part 3

Arriving again on the fourth floor, Dante stopped in his tracks and quickly turned around. "… What's this shuffling noise…?"

"Ah!" Dante jumped when the shuffling suddenly began underneath him. He made as much distance from the spot he was standing on as he could. _It's not from me. I didn't move at all… Why then did this shuffling start?!_

Dante wondered for a short time before focusing back on finding Desmond.

"Come on, Dante, focus…!" Dante headed for the fifth floor. "Get Desmond, then we can get out of here."

_Dante…!_

_Dante…!_

Dante stopped in place and turned around. "… D-Dizzy? Dee Dee…?"

_Big brother…!_

"What are you two doing here…? Where are you?!" Dante started searching. "You should be back home."

As he was searching through the fog, Dante noticed the two little pups peeking out from a room.

Dante rushed over to them. "Hey! Why aren't you back home…?"

Dante was shocked to see that his two little sisters were crying as they were surveying the hallway Dante was in.

"Wh-What's wrong?! Why are you crying?" Dante asked as he started to worry.

"Come on, come with me. I'll leave you with Portia and we'll go back home as soon as I find Desmond, alright?" Dante caressed their heads, trying to calm them down.

 _What are you talking about, Dante…?_ Dee Dee asked her older brother. _We are home._

"What…?!" Dante stood, puzzled. He then took a look around and saw that he was indeed back at his house, on the second floor. "No way… How did—"

"AH!" Dizzy and Dee Dee exclaimed, cutting their brother off, as they heard footsteps coming from the staircase.

 _Come on, come on!_ The two pups whispered in unison as they pulled Dante into their room. _Quickly! Or he'll get you too!_

"Who…?!" Dante got confused.

After shutting the door and locking it, the pups tucked under their brother and began shaking in fear.

"Whoa, whoa, now!" Dante was taken aback by his sisters' actions. "What got you two so spooked?"

 _Shh…_ Dee Dee put her paw on her mouth. _Be quiet, he'll hear you…_

"Who'll hear me?!" Dante questioned. "Did someone break-in—"

_Dizzy, Dee Dee~_

"… Was tha—" Dante's mouth was quickly shut by the two pups.

 _Please, be quiet…_ Dizzy begged him.

 _Don't say anything…_ Dee Dee added.

Dante didn't understand want was going on, but hearing his little sisters' cracking voices and seeing their eyes filling with tears, made him do as they asked of him and hugged them close to himself.

_Dizzy, Dee Dee~_

_Won't you come out…?_

_Don't you want to be with your parents and the rest of your siblings…?_

_Everyone is waiting for you two~_

As the voice of the one approaching the room, Dante and his sisters were in got nearer, Dante began recognizing it.

"Is that…?" he looked down at the two pups, who were shaking their heads from side to side, gesturing for their brother to not utter another word.

_Girls, come on~_

_Show yourselves…_

Dizzy and Dee Dee started breathing heavily as the footsteps were getting closer and closer. Dante, on the other hand, was getting frustrated as this when on.

_COME OUT, YOU STUPID BRATS…!_

The two little pups almost didn't yelp out when they heard this. Dante began scowling and his sharp fangs started showing.

"That's it!" Dante barked out as he jumped towards the door.

 _Dante, NOOO…!_ Dizzy and Dee Dee shouted out to him.

Dante bit the door's handle and swung it wide open, just to find himself back in the hallway.

"Huh…?!" Dante looked to his sides. _There's no one here… Back in the hallway?! Wasn't I home just now…?_

"D-Dizzy, Dee Dee…" Dante walked back to the room as he kept his eyes on the hallway. "You can come out now. There's no one—"

When Dante looked back to the room, he was shocked to find that his sisters were gone, and the room went back to being dark and dusty again. There wasn't even a door anymore.

"The heck was that…?" Dante rubbed his head. "Was I imagining it…? But it looked so real…"

 _Anyway…_ thought Dante as he went back on track. _Got to find Desmond. No more distractions._

_Pssst…!_

Dante stopped and turned around. "… H-Hello…?

"Anyone there?"

_Over here, Dante…_

"That voice… I knew it… It was you, wasn't it?!" Dante growled as he spun and saw Desmond rearing his head through a door. "How dare you insult Dizzy and Dee Dee!"

 _You know it's true, though…_ chuckled Desmond then laid under the door's frame. _They can be very annoying._

Dante stared at Desmond with anger in his eyes.

 _Here…_ Desmond tossed him two collars. _Not like they'll need them anymore._

Dante looked at them, his mouth gaped open as he recognized his little sisters' collars.

Dante's anger began building up at a rapid pace as he started realizing what happened. "Y-You… You…!

"Where are they…?! WHERE ARE MY LITTLE SISTERS?!"

 _Hehehe…! No need to worry about them, Dante._ Desmond laughed out. _You'll be seeing them soon…_

_You're next, after all…_

As soon as Dante heard this, he charged at Desmond, but tumbled on the floor and rolled into the room as Desmond vanished in the fog when Dante made contact with him.

"YOU CONNIVING…! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Dante screamed out in fury while he searched the empty room for Desmond. "GIVE DIZZY AND DEE DEE BACK!"

* * *

_What's going on?!_ Portia wondered, hearing Dante's voice through the floor's boards. _Why is he screaming like that?_

Out of worry, Portia headed for the upper floor. Forgetting about her injured leg and stepped on it causing her to fall on the cold boards.

"Arrrgh!" she growled in frustration. "Damn this leg…"

Portia dragged herself to the wall and used it as support to stand herself up. "Guess the wall has to do."

At that moment, her nose picked up the faint scent of something familiar.

"… This smell?" Portia rubbed her nose. "It's weak, but… So familiar…"

She sniffed the air and realized the scent was coming all the way down from the first floor. Her curiosity took hold and Portia went after the odor.

Hold on…! she stopped herself and looked up at the hallway's ceiling. "Dante…

"DANTE?! DANTE, ARE YOU ALRIGHT UP THERE…?!" Portia called out to him.

* * *

"SHOW YOURSELF!" Dante was fuming when his ears caught Portia's voice, which snapped him back to his senses.

"Portia?!" Dante pondered. "PORTIA, ARE YOU FINE?!"

"I'M ASKING YOU THE SAME THING!" Portia said from under the boards.

"YEAH, YEAH, I'M ALRIGHT." He assured her. "MORE IMPORTANTLY, LOOK OUT FOR DESMOND!"

"FOR HIM?! WHY?! WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"HE DID SOMETHING WITH DEZZY AND DEE DEE!" Dante slammed his paw down. "WHEN I FIND HIM, I'LL…! I'LL…!"

"HOLD ON, DANTE! DON'T DO ANYTHING RASH!" Portia implored him. "THINK THIS OVER!"

"…." Dante took a minute to collect himself and started rethinking.

"… DANTE…?!"

"I HEAR YOU, PORTIA…! BUT I—"

"LISTEN…! DIZZY AND DEE DEE AREN'T HERE! REMEMBER, THE ONLY ONES IN THIS HOUSE, RIGHT NOW IS ME, YOU, AND DESMOND, RIGHT…?!" Portia tried reasoning.

"… Y-YEAH, RIGHT…!" Dante replied, then sat down and rubbed his eyes.

 _Come on! She's right, Dizzy and Dee Dee are back home. They're back home… And yet…_ thought Dante, trying to convince himself. _… They looked so real…_

_And Desmond… Why was he after them and… After me…?_

Dante sat still as he took some time to process these thoughts.

Dante tapped on the floor to get Portia's attention. "THANKS, PORTIA! MY MIND'S CLEAR NOW!"

"THANK DOG!" Portia relaxed. "WAS WORRYING YOU'D DO SOMETHING STUPID!"

"DON'T WORRY, ALL RIGHT?! I WON'T DO ANYTHING TO DESMOND!"

"GO GET HIM, THEN! AND HURRY, WILL YOU?!" Portia rushed him.

"ON MY WAY!" Dante reassured. "WE'LL BE COMING SOON, JUST WAIT!"

* * *

Portia exhaled, slightly relieved then went back to the smell.

Slowly, she walked towards the end of the hallway, just to be met with the staircase.

"Oh, curse it!" she murmured, knowing how hard it was going to be walking down the stairs with her injured leg. "… Guess it can't be helped."

Portia braced herself and used the wall as support then began walking down to the first floor. She took every step with great caution and even moved at a slower pace than before as she knew that falling would be more than unpleasant.

After what felted like hours, Portia made it to the base of the staircase.

She took another sniff. "A bit stronger now, but still quite weak… I suppose we were too excited about this place to notice it at first."

Portia turned her head in the direction of the smell and realized it was coming from under the stairs.

She took a bit of time to rest, then continued. As she went under the staircase, Portia got confused, she could tell that the scent was coming from where she stood, but couldn't find the source of it until one of her paws hit what felt like some sort of protrusion.

Looking down, Portia saw a pull handle, protruding from under the dusty floor. She swiped the dust off to find that the handle was connected to a wooden cellar door.

"It's coming from here." Portia noted.

She bit the handle and lifted up the door, revealing several steps leading to a basement. The moment she opened the door, Portia got hit with a vile stench that almost made her throw up as it poured out from the basement.

"Oh, dog…!" Portia blocked her nostrils with a paw. "Rubbish smells better than this…"

 _Really don't want to do this, but…_ Portia frowned at the thought but needed to confirm her notion. She leaned her head and took another sniff from the smell. "That's it…! I knew it."

Portia walked down the stairs until she made it to a room that was full from top to bottom with plants, most of which were the same as the one Dante pricked his paw on.

She looked around and saw that some of those plants were rotting away. Portia carefully inspected the plants, specifically the ones that had small purple spikes on them. "Same as the one Dante stepped on… What was it…? My human was warning me about this plant, but what was it about…?"

"Hold on…" she stepped back from it and rubbed her forehead. "Think, think..."

The instant she remembered, Portia gasped and quickly backed away from the plants, but fell on her back as she accidentally stepped on her injured leg. "Ahh!"

"I know now…" Portia muttered then stood herself up on the basement's wall. "This is bad, I need to get to Dante and fast!"

Portia tried screaming, but Dante was too far away to hear her. She headed for the upper floors, trying to get to Dante as quickly as possible, her leg, however, was making it hard to do so. Though the pain was unbearable, Portia pushed through it, knowing full well the danger that the plant posed for Dante. Gritting her teeth, she made it out of the basement and continued to the next floor.

* * *

_I know there's no way that Dizzy and Dee Dee could be here… But what I saw seemed so real…_ Dante was pondering as he walked through the hallway. _Damn it! It doesn't matter how much I try to make sense out of it, it just keeps troubling me… What was it that I just saw…?!_

As Dante was trying to figure this out, his ears caught a horrible scratching sound that was coming from another room, this time with a door. Dante was struck with unease as he approached the room, his black fur began standing up as he opened the door.

The first thing Dante noticed upon entering was that he was back in his house again, this time in Da Vinci's room. Looking around, Dante saw that all of his sister's paintings were ripped and paint was splattered everywhere on the floor. As Dante was being bewildered by what he was witnessing, he jerked back when he heard the scratching again.

Standing to the only window in Da Vinci's room was Desmond, with his back turned towards Dante, scratching the window's glass with his claw. Dante gulped when he saw him.

 _What's he doing?!_ Dante wondered while getting more and more nervous as Desmond continued scratching the glass. _More importantly, Da Vinci's room… What happened here?! What happened to her?!_

Dante's thoughts were quickly silenced when Desmond stopped scratching and began tapping with his claw on the glass.

 _What took you so long…?_ Desmond asked while looking out the window. _Everyone's leaving without you…_

"Enough with this, Desmond!" Dante made a step forward but was reluctant to get any closer to him as his anger towards Desmond was equally as strong as his fear. "Tell me right now, what happened with my sisters?!"

Desmond turned his head to looked Dante in the eyes and gave him a sinister smirk. _Why don't you look out the window…? That should answer your question, I'm sure._

After saying this, Desmond vanished, leaving Dante alone in the room. Dante rushed over to the window and looked through it. Dante's eyes widened, and he held his breath from the scene that was unfolding before him. His parents and siblings—all of them were locked in cages and were getting loaded into a truck's trailer, some of the pups were squirming while others were cowering in the corners of their cages. His parents, along with Dylan, Dolly, Dawkins, Da Vinci, and others had lifeless expressions on them and none were making any attempts to escape.

"NO!" Dante slammed his paws on the glass. "MOM! DAD! DYLAN! DOLLY! EVERYONE!"

"NO! NO! NO!" Dante yelled, his mind couldn't grasp what was happening. "RUN! GET OUT OF THERE!"

 _How did this…?!_ Dante began questioning. _When did this happen?! Why are they all just staying still?!_

 _You see, Dante…?_ Desmond appeared behind him and pulled at Dante's collar with a paw. _They're leaving without you. You could've been with them._

Out of reflex, Dante spun around and tried biting Desmond's paw, but yet again, Desmond vanished in the fog.

"You…! You did this, didn't you?! LET THEM GO THIS INSTANT!" Dante demanded while looking around the room for Desmond. "YOU HEAR ME, YOU WRETCH?!"

_Now, now, Dante, insults won't get you anywhere…_

Dante looked out the window again, however, neither his family or the truck were anywhere to be found. This made Dante fly into a rage. "WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON?! WHERE DID THEY GO?!"

"DAMN IT, DESMOND! TELL ME!" Dante roared. "GIVE ME BACK MY FAMILY!"

_You'll have to do something about it~_

Turning his head to a chair located next to a blood-red canvas, Dante saw Desmond sitting on the chair and clawing at the canvas, slowly tearing it apart.

Desmond got off the chair and started approaching Dante. Dante took a defensive stance, but instead, froze on the spot when he noticed Desmond's size gradually enlarging, his claws and fangs grew as well, while his pupils shrunk and began glowing.

When Desmond was a few steps away from Dante, Dante made an abrupt step back.

 _What is it, Dante…?_ Desmond's head twisted. _Do you detest me…? Do you… Fear me…?_

Dante started panting intensely, and his body began shaking wildly. When Desmond, who now looked like a monster to Dante, leaned over him, Dante's body started screaming for him to run away, but he stood still. The thought of retrieving his family was the only thing keeping him from fleeing.

 _Which is it…?_ Desmond grew a smile, revealing his sharp, knife-like teeth.

"I… I-I…" Dante stuttered, but as both fear and anger were filling his mind and body, Dante found himself gritting his fangs and plunging his claws into the wooden floor. "I… Hate you…!"

 _Finally being honest with yourself, are you?_ Desmond pulled away from him.

 _What now, Dante…?_ Desmond exposed his neck. _To what extent will you go for your dear family…?_

_Kill him…_

_Kill him…!_

_KILL HIM…!_

_Well, can you…?!_ Desmond provoked him. _FOR THEM?!_

Losing himself in pure fury, Dante leaped towards Desmond with his fangs, ready to pierce his neck. Jumping to the side and avoiding Dante's attack, Desmond darted out of the room, to the hallway, and towards the stairs leading to the fifth floor. Dante dashed out of the room and chased after him with his mind set on ripping Desmond to shreds.


	13. 13 Downhill Street, Part 4

Chased by the creaking sounds, Desmond ran from room to room, trying to escape the agonizing noise.

"Leave me alone already!" he yelled before tripping over a broken board. As quickly as he fell, Desmond stood up and continued running until he found a room with a round, dusty table in it. He cowered under it and began beseeching in his head for one of the dogs to find him. "Where are you…? Portia, Dante…

"Please, please, please, find me… Don't leave me alone in the dark…

"Why won't this just end already?!"

Desmond's blood ran cold when he heard the pale-skinned woman entering the room. The moment she stepped in, with her white leather boots, the whole room changed into a somber red color. Walking over to the table Desmond was hiding under, she pushed it away, reviling the trembling dog.

To Desmond, only the woman's silhouette and bloodshot eyes were visible as the rest of her features were obscured by the now greenish, thick fog.

She crouched down to him, extending her skinny, pale arm, and began caressing his fur.

_You've always had such a smooth fur…_

_So soft to the touch…_

_Those black spots of yours… So vivid…_

_Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!_ Desmond screamed in his mind. His heart was about to burst out of fear.

The woman moved her hand from Desmond's back to his neck and began lightly squeezing it.

_You and your mother remind me so much of a pair of dalmatians that cost me my career…_

She then squeezed his neck harder.

_If only you weren't part of our family… The De Vils…_

_You and your mother…_

_Both your lovely furs would make for—_

Squeezing harder and harder, the woman dug her sharp nails into his neck, causing Desmond to howl in pain and jolt back, away from her.

_Oh, did I hurt you…?_

She stood up and moved closer to him. Desmond began backing away from her until he hit the corner of the room. The woman grabbed his cheeks and rose his head towards hers.

_There, there, Desmond… I won't hurt you…_

_I wouldn't hurt my favorite pet…_

_Not when you can be of so much use to me… Hehehe…_

_Just listen to me… Do as I say, and you'll get your dear friends back…_

Desmond stood frozen, unable to move.

_Do as you're told and don't question it… Isn't that right…?_

He nodded, completely lost in terror.

_Good boy…_

After saying this, the woman let go of his face and vanished into the fog, which then returned back to being grayish and the room regained back its normal color.

Taking some time to compose himself, Desmond fell on the cold floor and buried his face in his paws.

"Just listen to her, listen to her…" he began telling himself. "Do my job here and the boss will get them out… She will, she will…"

Desmond's vision began to blur as he realized he was tearing up.

Taking in several breaths to come himself, he whipped the tears away and slowly rose his head. Upon looking out the room, he saw a black figure standing just outside the hallway. Taking a closer look at it, he quickly recognized the black-furred dog which made Desmond's ears perk up in elation. Feeling relieved from the sight of Dante, he stood up and rushed towards him.

"Dante, I'm so happy to see you!" Desmond exclaimed in delight, however, as he moved closer towards him, he began hearing Dante's loud snarling.

"… Dante…?" Desmond stopped a few feet away from him. "What… What's the matter? Who are you growling at?"

Dante's body began shaking uncontrollably in anger. He extended his claws and readied his fangs.

"Finally decided to show your true colors, huh…?" Dante said through his teeth, then began approaching him. "I'll make you regret ever stepping in our home!"

Hearing this got Desmond confused and he began backing away from Dante. "W-Wait… Dante, what's this about?! Why are you so mad…?"

"I'll bite your damn throat out!" Dante threatened.

Desmond's ears dropped, he couldn't believe what Dante was saying. "What did you just say—"

Dante made a sudden jump at him. Crashing on the floor, Desmond got pinned down by Dante's paws. Desmond tried getting out of his hold, but Dante pressed him back down.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, DANTE?!" Desmond panicked.

"You want to see what I'm ready to do for my family…?!" Dante stated then opened his maw and went for Desmond's neck.

"NO, DANTE, DON'T!" Portia screamed through gasps as she arrived on the floor. "STOP!"

Dante paused himself before he could bite into Desmond's neck. He spun his head back to see Portia's shocked and frightened look. "Portia…?

"S-Stay back! Don't go near Desmond. He's… He's a monster!"

"Please, Dante, stop!" Desmond begged with horror on his face as he couldn't wrap his head around what made Dante act like this.

Dante pressed Desmond's neck, silencing him. "You shut your mouth!"

"I said stop, Dante!" Portia began moving towards him, using the wall to support herself. "Listen, please…! Don't do it!"

"I said stay back, Portia!" Dante fumed. He turned back to Desmond and stared down the shaking tall dog. He readied himself again to tear into Desmond but got tackled down by Portia, who tightly gripped onto him.

"NO, PORTIA! LET ME GO!" Dante started squirming, trying to get out of Portia's grip. "I HAVE TO...! HE'S A MONSTER…! A MONSTER!"

"NO, HE'S NOT! HE'S NOT!" Portia turned her grip into a tight hug. "Please, stop and listen to me!"

Portia grabbed Dante's face and pulled him towards her own, making sure his gaze was focused on her. "Everything is fine. I promise, whatever you've seen, whatever made you think that Desmond's a monster, it's not real… It's not."

The poodle then lowered her tone and began speaking gently, though, she couldn't hide her wobbling voice. "Calm down, Dante… I don't want to see you like this… Please, stop…"

Looking into Portia's eyes and hearing her shaking, scared voice snapped Dante out of his rage and he began relaxing from the poodle's embrace. As they both laid on the floor and looked at each other, Dante began slowly realizing the severe mistake he could've made if Portia hadn't interfered.

"Dante…?" Portia muttered.

"… I'm… Fine now…" he pulled her into a hug. "Thank you for stopping me."

Dante then pulled away, stood himself up, and helped Portia stand up as well. He looked over at the still lying Desmond and pondered for a second. _Was I really about to…?_

"Dante?" Desmond turned to him as he stood himself up. "What was that all about? Did you seriously just tried to…?"

Dante sunk his head, unsure of it himself. "I'm sorry, Desmond…"

Dante turned away from him. "I wasn't thinking straight… I don't know what it was, but I was so furious with you, that I…"

Desmond walked up to Dante but made sure to leave some distance between them. "… Look, I—"

"Dante, Desmond…" Portia broke in. "I think I know what's going on here."

Both of them turned their attention at her.

"Before that, I just want to make sure of something." She took Dante's paw, the one on which he pricked himself, and observed it for a second time. "Yes, it's as I thought.

"You were intoxicated, Dante."

"What?!" Dante exclaimed, astounded. "I was…?!"

"Better to show you than tell you." Portia stated. "We'll need to go down in the basement, however."

"There's a basement here?" Desmond said, surprised.

"Follow me." Portia began moving towards the staircase, but suddenly, her vision got blurry for an instant, causing her to almost fall.

"Portia!" Dante rushed to her aid, helping her balance herself on her paws.

"Curse it… I can't go on like this anymore…" she groaned. "All this running completely exhausted me…"

"Why did you even move from the spot I left you at?" Dante murmured to himself. He then looked at her injured leg and was shocked to discover how much it had swollen. "Portia! What were you doing?! Your leg is a mess."

"Huh?!" she looked at her leg but wasn't surprised by its worsened state. "Well… It's to be expected. I ran all the way from the first floor to here, after all."

"If she can't stand on her paws, I can carry her." Desmond offered as he walked towards her.

Dante stood himself between Desmond and Portia as he was still distrustful of him.

"Dante, let him." The poodle told him with a stern tone.

Dante ignored her for a moment, but thought of her state and moved to the side, allowing Desmond to help her. Desmond laid down, letting Portia climbed onto his back, then slowly and carefully stood up. "Are you comfortable, Portia?"

"Yeah, now go." she said.

"And Dante…" Portia turned to him. "No matter what you hear or see from here on, know it's not real, so just ignore it."

Dante nodded then moved to Desmond's side as they all headed down the staircase.

* * *

When they arrived on the first floor, Portia pointed under the stairs. There, Dante and Desmond discovered the already opened cellar door. The moment the two dogs neared the door, both got hit with the vile stench that emerged from within the basement.

"Argh! What is this?!" Dante quickly blocked his nostrils as did Desmond and Portia.

"It's the odor of rotting plants. To be more exact, one plant in particular." Portia told him.

"Come on, Desmond." the poodle tapped him on the side. "Go in there, Dante you come as well."

Desmond began walking down the basement stairs with Dante following right behind him.

When they reached the room, Dante and Desmond were surprised to see the whole thing filled with plants. There wasn't much space for the three of them, so they mostly stood at the entrance of the room.

"It's a little hard to see from the fog, but take a good look at those plants." The poodle gestured at the greenery.

"The same kind of plant I pricked myself on." Dante noted.

"That's right. I'll guess you've seen strange things around here. Right, Dante?" Portia asked.

"Uh-huh." Dante nodded. "Very strange things."

"It's because of this plant." Portia affirmed.

"Really…?" Dante rubbed his paw on the floor.

"You saw its purple spikes, right?"

"And…?" Dante tilted his head.

"There's a toxin in those spikes and upon entering your body, the toxin causes hallucinations." Portia explained. "It's a hallucinogenic plant, and I think it's exactly because of it that all these rumors about the house got spread."

Dante stood, astonished by this as did Desmond, who afterward, inspected his punctured paw. The poodle noticed his paw as Desmond was looking at it and got worried.

"Did you prick yourself too?!" the poodle asked, concerned.

Dante turned to him. "When did that happen?"

"… While I was walking through the second floor's hallway, I stepped on one. And then as you said, Portia, I began seeing things." Desmond told them. "Guess this thing made its way from the basement up to the second floor…"

"So what…? Everything was just a hallucination, then…?" Desmond thought back on the events he just went through.

"How did you figure this out, Portia?" Dante wondered.

"The stench jogged my memory." she exhaled from exhaustion. "… I remembered that my human has the same plant in our house, a couple of them. He keeps them locked in a small room. I once entered it and got pricked by one… You can figure out what happened next. The effects should subside soon tough, so you two shouldn't worry."

"Can… Can we leave now…?" Desmond looked them both, with an unnerved expression.

"Yeah, better for us to." Dante stated.

"Let's go, then." said Portia, then laid her head on Desmond's back. "I can barely keep my head up anymore…"

* * *

As they made their way out of the house, the three dogs immediately felt the sudden rise in temperature as a breeze of warm air blew them in the face.

"Wow!" Dante exclaimed. "Completely forgot how warm it was out here."

"Though, it's still night…" he looked at the sky.

They then headed towards the wooden fence, back to the hole they previously entered from.

Upon reaching it, Dante quickly recognized a problem. "What a pain… It's not big enough for you both to enter."

"And you aren't in any condition to make it through the hole by yourself, are you, Portia?" He looked at the fatigued poodle. "Guess I'll take a page from Diesel's book…"

Dante buried his paws in the hole and began digging. After half an hour of digging and staking up a big pile, Dante had enlarged the hole just enough for Desmond to go through it along with Portia on his back.

Desmond made it to the other side of the fence. "Nicely done, Dante."

"I'm not as good as Diesel at this, but I did the job." Dante cleaned the dirt off himself.

"What of this pile?" Desmond looked at it. "Can't just leave it like this, someone might get suspicions."

Dante exhaled in annoyances but knew Desmond was right. "Fine. Give me a minute."

"… There!" Dante stomped on the dirt where the hole used to be, making sure it was sealed shut. "Made sure to fully close it. Don't want anyone else to go through what we did."

Dante took one last look at the dilapidated house before he and Desmond went on their way back to Dalmatian St.

* * *

The fog started subsiding as the dogs walked through the streets, allowing them to see more clearly now.

"Hey, Desmond." Dante turned to him. "Before we go to Dalmatian street, we'll first drop Portia off at her home."

"As you say." Desmond replied.

"So how come no one else caught that stench went they were in the house, Portia?" Dante turned to her, puzzled.

"Probably because the plants weren't rotting while others were in there. They don't produce any sort of smell usually—that is until they start decomposing, then the plant releases the vile odor." She told him.

"Ah-huh." Dante understood. "Such a waste though, if it weren't for it, we would've had a fantastic night… Oh, well."

"Might not have been fantastic, but sure was nightmarish." Desmond forced a giggle out.

"We can agree on that." Dante smirked at him.

When they reached the poodle's house—a three-storied house with a steel bar fence and two small iron gates connected to it, Desmond laid on the ground, letting Portia get off his back.

"Thanks, Desmond." she said.

"Careful." Dante helped her out. "Sure you can walk?"

"I managed to rest a little while Desmond was carrying me." Portia gathered some straight to stand herself up but made sure her swollen leg stayed off the ground. Dante then helped to walk her towards the house's gates.

Desmond followed after them but got stopped by Dante. "I think you should wait here, Desmond."

"Eh…? Oh! Yeah, yeah, sure. I'll wait then." Desmond sat next to the fence as Dante and Portia entered the house's front yard.

They walked to the main door where Dante lifted the pet door for her. Portia entered in, then turned around and waved with her paw at Dante, gesturing for him to enter the house as well. He went in and sat beside her.

"Why did you call me in?" Dante asked.

"I wanted to talk with you." Portia pulled him towards her then frowned a little in concern. "I saw your eyes back there, Dante… It still gives me shivers thinking about it. What did you see that made you want to kill Desmond…?"

Dante sighed and fixed his eyes at a window. "… While I was searching for him, I—"

"Eyes on me when we talk." she reminded him.

"Right… Err… It was horrible…" he turned his attention at her. "My family, they were all locked up in cages, Portia… The expression on their faces was lifeless.

"I couldn't do anything but watch…" Dante's paws started shaking. "Then… There was Desmond… He was after me, after my family, and I was so furious with him that I just got the urge to… To…"

Portia took one of his shaking paws in her own, and gently caress one of his ears. "It was all just a hallucination, Dante. Nothing more."

"I know… Even so, it felt too real… I was angry, but I was also scared…" he admitted, tightening his grip on her paw. "… I'm glad it's over now. You and I may like blood-curdling things, but that was too much for me…"

Portia wrapping her paws around Dante and stood in that position with him for a while, letting him relax a bit.

"… You're always so warm." Dante smiled as he stood in her embrace. "It's one reason I love you so much."

"Only one…?" she rose his head up and gave him a seductive smile. "Because I can think of a couple of reasons why I love you."

"Okay, okay. Got me there, I wasn't being honest." he somewhat chuckled. "It's not like that's the only thing that made me fall for you."

"That privilege goes to that cute curly tail of yours." Dante joked, earning a small giggle from Portia.

"I've also decided something while we walked…"

Portia rose her ears in curiosity.

"I tried approaching Desmond in a few ways up until now. From a distance, then I let him join us to try and figure him out that way, but I feel like there was one thing hindering my approach…"

"And that is…?" Portia rose an eyebrow.

"I was hostile, even if a little." He answered.

"I see…" she cocked her head to one side. "So are you going to be all lovey-dovey with him now?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that." Dante snickered. "I'll act more friendly around him, that should get him to open up.

"He himself told me he'd like for us to be friends. If that's what he wants then I'll be more than glad to take him up on his offer."

"I still don't trust him, however." Dante scratched the floor with his paw. "Back there, I heard him talk with someone…"

"Talk with someone…?" Portia got surprised. "You sure about that? I told you, no one else was with us in the house… Could've just been a hallucination."

"Not like the thought didn't cross my mind, but the way he was speaking… Desmond sounded very distressed…" Dante then frowned. "My intuition tells me that he wasn't just merely hallucinating, there was more to it… Desmond's hiding something, I'm sure of it!"

"So what was it that he said?"

"Well, I was too angry at the time to care all that much…" he admitted. "But I know I heard him! From what I can remember, Desmond was murmuring to himself, saying things like—listen to someone and do some kind of a job to get someone else out… Out of where I don't know though."

"... What now?" she halted her hug. "Are you going to tell your family?"

"No. Not until I'm a hundred percent sure. I told you, I need solid evidence, otherwise, I'll just be accusing Desmond based on a gut feeling." Dante said. "Though, I'm a little more confident in my hunch now."

Portia smiled at him. "Don't forget, if you need help with this, I'm always here for you."

"You focus on getting that injured leg of yours some treatment." Dante advised. "And thanks!"

Dante then looked at a clock that was hooked on the wall and noted that the time was 4:30 am.

"I'll have to go now. Got to be back home before sunrise." Dante told her then gave her an encouraging smile. "Get well soon, Portia!"

After that, Dante headed for the pet door. Lifting it, he began exiting when suddenly Portia pulled at his tail, making him halt.

"What?" he asked, a bit confused.

"Can you wait for just a second longer?" the poodle said. "I'll be right back. You wait for me outside, okay?"

"Sure." He replied, still a little confused, but sat just outside the main door and waited for her.

After a couple of minutes, Portia returned, carrying a paper bag in her mouth. She sat in front of Dante and gave it to him.

"Huh?!" Dante took the bag and looked in, seeing a small purple present box with a blue ribbon on it. "… What's this gift for?"

Portia leaned towards him and licked his nose. "Happy sixteenth birthday, Dante!"

Dante took some time to process this information when it finally occurred to him. "Ohhh…! Yeah, that's right! Today is my birthday!

"You shouldn't have, Portia. I don't celebrate my birthdays anymore."

"I know, but you still deserve a gift." she stated. "Come on, open it."

"Alright." He smiled then proceeded to remove the ribbon and opened the box.

"Oh-ho!" Dante exclaimed when he saw a dozen guitar string packs in the box.

"You told me that you broke all your strings last week, so I taught it'd be appropriate to get you some new ones for your birthday." She smirked.

"Sweet! Thanks, Portia!" Dante bubbled.

While enjoying the poodle's gift, Dante's happy mood began deflating as a thought popped in his head. "Oh, dog damn it!"

Portia's joyful smile turned upside-down when she heard this. "What?! What's the matter?! Something wrong with the gift?!"

"Oh, no, no! Your gift's fantastic." Dante reassured her. "It's just that, seeing as it's my birthday, Dylan and Dolly are probably going to throw a party because of it. That's what's bothering me."

The poodle playfully shoved him to the side. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean to scare you. Hehe." He smirked at her. "Again, your gift is perfect."

"Well, I'd like to stay, but I really should be going now." Dante said as he closed the purple box and put it back in the bag.

"Yeah, think I've taken enough of your time anyway." she acknowledged.

But before Dante could make a step, Portia pulled him in, close to her, leaned to his ear, and whispered. "Come again next week for a second, more _intimate_ gift…"

Dante's ears perked up, his tail began to waggle, he squeezed the bag tight, and he blushed out of excitement as soon as Portia finished the sentence.

 _Intimate…?!_ Dante taught as he breathed heavily, and said breaths were accompanied by a racing pulse. "… Y-Yeah, s-sure, no problem, I'll come!"

"I'll be waiting~" she pecked him on the cheek, then went back in her house.

As Dante stood outside the poodle's home, stunned, he couldn't help but grow a complacent smile.

"Come on, Dante! Get a grip on yourself, dog!" he shook his head. "Focus on getting home before the sun rises."

He stood up and headed for the fence's gates.

* * *

Walking through the gates, Dante was surprised to see Desmond still standing near the fence. "Ha?! Thought you'd have left by now."

"I prefer some company by my side, Dante." Desmond stood up. "Shall we…?"

Dante and Desmond continued on their way, down the sidewalk, side by side.

"So… You two were a couple after all." Desmond turned at Dante and smirked a little.

"Wha…!" Dante paused. "How did you learn that?! Were you eavesdropping on us?!"

"No, no, of course not." Desmond assured him. "I watched you through the bars of the fence."

"Y-You watched…?!" Dante sputtered, annoyed, then jabbed Desmond on the side. "You're awful."

"Hey! Hey! Come on now, don't say that." Desmond replied with a nervous smile.

"I think you two are great for each other, really!" Desmond tried justifying. "Didn't mean anything bad, honest."

Dante huffed and stared him down. "You dare speak of this to anyone and I'll…!"

"I won't trust me!" Desmond put a paw on his chest.

Dante exhaled, frustrated, and murmured to himself. "As if I'd trust you…"

"What was that?" Desmond tilted his head.

"Nothing, it doesn't matter." Dante replied. "Now… It's your turn!"

"Huh?! What do you mean?"

"Portia and I being a couple was supposed to be a secret. I want you to tell me a secret of yours, and I don't mean a small one, my relationship with Portia was a big secret, so to be even—"

"How about—why I decided to leave my country and come live here?"

Dante rose his ears.

"Well…" Desmond looked at the distance. "I used to live in a mansion back in Romania…"

"In a mansion?" Dante got surprised. "A rich dog then, huh?"

"Yeah, well… As you know, my parents weren't around for most of my childhood, so I had to stay alone in the mansion. Our human took care of me for the most part, but his job required him to work after dusk, so I was left completely alone during the nights…

"It wasn't that much of a problem as I grew older, but as a pup, I had trouble sleeping during the nights… The mansion's floors were made out of wooden boards, and every time they'd creak, I'd wake up in complete darkness with no one else in the building but myself.

"Over time, I began hating the mansion because of this, was going mad from it honestly, and when I eventually became old enough, my parents let me leave the mansion to go live wherever I wanted." Desmond told him.

"And… Why did you choose London?" Dante asked. "Couldn't you have just moved someplace else in Romania?"

"Oh! That's simple, I always wanted to visit London, plus, I liked the idea of moving to a different country."

"… Alright then… That will do." Dante scratched the back of his head. "But still, make sure you don't tell anyone. I'll make my relationship with Portia known when the time's appropriate."

Desmond nodded.

* * *

Entering Dalmatian St, the two dogs made it to Desmond's house.

"Alright, my stop's here." Desmond yawned and rubbed his eyes. "I'll be sleeping all day, that freaking hell-house left me completely warned out… Not used to staying this late too, you know?"

"Yeah, I'll be hitting the sack as soon as I get home too." Dante agreed.

"See you around, Dante." Desmond said through another yawn and walked up to his porch stairs.

"Hey! Err… Desmond…!" Dante stopped him.

"Yeah?"

Dante sat down, put the paper bag on the ground, and looked him in the eyes. "…I want to apologize… Desmond, I feel horrible for what I was going to do to you. I'm beyond thankful that Portia stopped me… I still get chills from the thought of it…"

Desmond walked back to Dante and sat in front of him. "Well… I mean… You did scare me… That murderous intent in your eyes…" He shook a little. "… I imagine you had an awful hallucination involving me?"

"Yes, I had…" Dante admitted.

"What did you see that made you take such an extreme action?" Desmond wondered.

Dante contemplated for a while.

"Dante…?" Desmond looked him with unease in his eyes.

"I had a hallucination, where you… Turned into a terrifying beast and attacked me, so… I had to defend myself, you also taunted me, which made me angry with you..." Dante decided to tell only half the truth, thinking that it would be better to leave the rest to himself. "… I apologize again, I could have killed you, just because of some dumb illusion."

"If it's as you say, then it's fine, Dante." Desmond sat by his side and put his paw on Dante's back. "I understand you… No need to beat yourself up over it, what's done is done. We'll just… keep this to ourselves, right?"

"If you're alright with it…" Dante looked to the side.

Desmond nodded. "I am."

Without any more words, Dante and Desmond stood up. Dante took his bag and both continued towards their homes, turning back and looking at each other one more time.

When Dante reached his house, he paused for a couple of seconds and looked back in the direction of Desmond's house.

 _You may be a decent guy, Desmond, but I still have my eyes on you._ Dante thought to himself as he squinted. _It didn't bother me back then that much, but now… That conversation you had back in the house… Who were you talking to and what was that about you getting someone out of somewhere? Whatever secret it is you hold, I'll make sure to figure it out eventually… Until then, I'll be staying wary of you._

Dante then put his paw on the scanner, unlocking the door, and entered his home.

He inspected the hallway, making sure no one was yet up, and headed for the staircase, making his way to his room. As he entered, Dante got surprised when a pair of paws put a party hat on his head from behind. "Wha… Who—?"

"Happy birthday, bro!" Dolly appeared behind him with a big smile. "Hope you're ready for fun, cuz the whole family will be throwing a party for ya!"

"Dolly…" Dante growled at his older sister.

"Uh-uh!" Dolly put her paw on his mouth. "I know ya don't like celebrating your birthdays, but this year I'll make sure ya have the time of your life. Trust me, you'll thank me afterward."

Dante sighed and shoved her paw to the side. "Fine, but only this one time."

"Hehe, you'll love it, Dante!" Dolly cackled, she then noticed the paper bag he was carrying. "Oh, hey, what's in the bag?!"

"Well…!" he slightly panicked. "It's a gift… From Portia."

"From her?!" Dolly was surprised. "You two gotta be really good friends if she bought you a gift, huh?"

 _Yeah, very good friends indeed._ Dante giggled in his head.


	14. What to Paint…?

Standing in front of a blank canvas, which rested on an easel in her room, and playing with one of her ears, Da Vinci was pondering on what to paint this morning.

As she did, she glanced over to a digital clock that stood in the corner of her desk.

 _… He won't be coming today again, will he…?_ Da Vinci thought as she scowled a little.

Da Vinci then walked up to her desk to take out some plastic buckets that were filled with paint, from a drawer. _I don't understand… I don't expect him to come every day, but we agreed that I'd teach him how to draw and he'd come model for me… So then…_

_Why aren't you here now…?_

After taking the buckets out, Da Vinci walked back to the canvas and sat in front of it. She removed the buckets' lids, lined them up to her side, dipped her paws in, and slowly put one paw on the canvas.

"..............." Da Vinci paused when she realized she didn't really have any idea of what to paint.

As she was wondering, paint from her wet paw began running down the canvas and started dripped on the floor. Noticing this, Da Vinci quickly jolted her paw back.

"Oh, great…! Ruined." Da Vinci frowned. She took the canvas and put it in the corner of her room. Taking a new one from her desk, Da Vinci put it on the easel again, then sat in front of it and began thinking.

 _… What's the matter with me…?_ She thought. _Usually, I have no problem deciding what to paint… This morning though… Something's bugging me…_

 _… Maybe…_ she put her paint-stained paw onto her chest while focusing on the canvas. _I just need some fresh air…_

"DA VINCI…!"

Da Vinci heard Dylan yell from the kitchen and spun her head towards the door.

"COME DOWN FOR BREAKFAST!"

The moment Da Vinci heard this, her stomach began to growl. "Could be this. Never work on an empty stomach as mum says."

She closed the buckets and headed out her room and down the stairs. When she reached the base of the staircase, Da Vinci paused for a moment when she felt something soft under her paw.

Da Vinci looked down to see that she was stepping on a round, blue plush doll that had an even darker blue curly hair, wore an orange skirt, and had a single eye centered in the middle of its body.

"… Princess Positron…?" Da Vinci wondered as she picked the doll up. "No way Dawkins would just leave you on the floor like this, he must've dropped you accidentally. Hehe... Better get you back to him or he might freak out. Right, princess?"

She then continued to the dining room.

As she walked in, Da Vinci looked around to see all of her siblings in their seats around the table, already digging their snouts into their bowls, splattering kibbles all over the room.

"Morning, sis!" Dolly walked past her, with three bowls in one paw and a fourth on her head.

"Good morning, Dolly." Da Vinci greeted her older sister.

"Go sit in your spot, I'll be getting ya your bowl in a second." Dolly told her.

Just then, the two heard some of their younger siblings arguing. Two of the pups were fighting over a bowl.

"Dusty, Darcy, enough!" Dylan yelled as he walked up to them. "What's the problem here?"

They both let go of the bowl and turned to their older brother.

"Darcy's trying to take my kibbles!" Dusty told Dylan.

"I'm hungry, and my food isn't here yet!" Darcy tried justifying.

"Be a little patient, Darcy. You'll get your kibbles soon, but taking your brother's food isn't the way to go." Dylan scolded her. "Next time I see you do this again, you'll be getting no breakfast."

"Yes, big brother." Darcy dropped her ears.

"Now apologize to Dusty."

"… I'm sorry…" she murmured under her nose.

"What was that?" Dylan asked, sternly.

"I said I'm sorry, Dusty." She said with a louder tone.

"Ha!" Dusty stuck his tongue out at her.

"Dusty!" Dylan eyed him.

"S-Sorry, big bro…" he apologized.

Da Vinci giggled at them as she and Dolly watched. "Dusty and Darcy bickering again?"

"Can't go a day without that happening." Dolly chuckled.

"Dolly, where's Darcy's bowl?!" Dylan yelled at her from across the room.

"Coming, coming!" she rushed over to them.

Da Vinci stared at Dylan and Dolly for a bit before she heard someone whistle at her. She turned to the side to see Dante waving at her.

"What are you doing, Da Vinci? Come over here." Dante called to her from across the table. "Forgot where you seat is?!"

Da Vinci made her way to the other side of the table, hopping over splattered kibbles that were on the ground, and sat next to her brother.

"A bit messier than usual?" Da Vinci gave Dante a small smile.

"Tell me about it." Dante replied then took a bite from his food. "It's been like this all morning."

Da Vinci looked to one end of the table and was surprised to see that her parents weren't present.

"Where are mum and dad?" she rose an eyebrow.

"They left early this morning." Dante told her as he chewed his kibbles. "They'll come back late too."

"Please don't speak with your mouth full, Dante." Dawkins scolded him, nonchalantly, from the opposite side of the table while he read a medical book. "It's repulsive."

Dante frowned at Dawkins as he swallowed his food. "How about you focus on eating rather than reading?"

"This…" Dawkins made a glance at his brother, licked his paw and flipped a page. "Is more important than nutrition right now, Dante. Breakfast can wait."

"That's exactly why you're nothing more than skin and bones." Dante huffed at him.

"Nonsense." Dawkins objected. "My body is perfectly healthy as it is. By the way, you're the one to talk, you barely sleep."

Dante exhaled, slightly agitated.

Da Vinci grabbed and pulled Dante by the ears, towards her, when she heard this, and examined his eyes. When she saw her brother's dry eyes and popped blood vessels, Da Vinci got worried. "Dante…! I know you like to stay up late, but have you even slept this night, your eyes look horrible!"

"Well…" Dante pulled away from his sister and went back to eating. "It's nothing to fret about."

"Go get a nap, why don't you, night dog?" Dawkins giggled smugly.

"Ha-Ha-Ha… You sure know how to annoy, don't you, Dawkins?" Dante snarled as he faked a smile.

"Any time for you, brother dearest." Dawkins sneered, returning his attention to his book.

"Okay…" Da Vinci broke in, putting her paw on Dante's shoulder then stared at Dawkins. "How about not arguing while at the table, you two?"

"Hey! I'm just concerned with my dear brother's health, Da Vinci." Dawkins justified. "Not like he'll appreciate it."

"Dawkins!" Da Vinci puffed her cheeks.

Meanwhile, circling the table, Dylan was counting his brother and sisters, making sure everyone was in their seats. "And 45, 46, 47…"

"No books on the table." Dylan closed and took Dawkins' book as he walked passed him, but not before tapping him on the head. "48…"

"Wha—" Dawkins jerked his head at his older brother. "Dylan! Give that book back! I'm studying!"

"You'll continue with your study after breakfast, and eat your kibbles, will you?" Dylan told him then proceed counting his siblings. "49, 50, 51…"

Dawkins sighed as he turned to his bowl.

" _Bon appétit_ , bookworm." Dante grinned at him.

"Stop it!" Da Vinci lightly pushed Dante on the shoulder.

"I'm just playing with him." Dante replied.

"But seriously, Dawkins, you shouldn't neglect your meals." Da Vinci looked him, a bit concerned. "Try eating more… Please."

Dawkins looked to the side, reluctant to eat. "Not until I finish that book."

Da Vinci then got an idea, she remembered she had the blue doll with her. "Really…? Not a single bite…?"

Dawkins nodded with a serious look on his face.

"Won't you do it…" she began slowly lifting the doll from under the table. "For princess Positron?"

Dawkins' eyes widened the instant he saw the doll and he quickly reached out his paws to grab it. "Princess Positron!"

"Just a second, Dawkins." Da Vinci pulled the doll away, out of her brother's reach. "Not until you've eaten your food."

Dawkins frowned in hesitation. "But…"

Da Vinci then put the doll in front of her face and began speaking, making it look as if the doll itself was doing so. "We both know how important meals are for your well-being, right, Dawkins? Please, do it… For me."

"Argh! Alright! So be it." Dawkins eyed the bowl, then looked back at his sister. "But you give your word that you'll return her to me, correct?"

Da Vinci pulled a string, located on the doll's back, activating its voice mechanism. " _Positronally!_ "

Dawkins then began rapidly eating his food, trying to finish it as fast as possible.

"Here ya go, sis!" Dolly appeared behind Da Vinci, putting her bowl on the table. "Sorry that it took so long."

"Don't worry about it, and thank you!" Da Vinci smiled at her older sister.

"Dylan! Everyone's set!" Dolly called out to him.

"That's great, Dolly!" Dylan replied as he was packing three lunch boxes, each into different small, pink bags. "Let me just finish here and we'll join everyone."

In the meantime, Da Vinci started eating as she waited for Dawkins to finish his food.

"Nice way of making him eat." Dante leaned to his sister as he whispered.

"Hehe… I just love how willing Dawkins is to do anything for her." Da Vinci whispered back as she chuckled. "He's so adorable."

"Yeah, yeah, adorable until you start messing with his dear princess over here." Dante tried holding in a laugh.

"Come on, mister night dweller…" Da Vinci playfully pushed him away. "You know how much he loves her."

"Same thing with you and your guitar." She rose and eyebrow and smirked at him.

"Hey, hey, hey! Where do you get off comparing a stuffed toy to a musical instrument?" Dante slammed his paw on the table, making his sister flinch a bit.

"… Point is, everyone has something important to them…" Da Vinci gently put her paw onto her pink bandanna.

"I suppose…" Dante rested his head on his paws.

Da Vinci returned her attention at Dawkins and was surprised to see two paws stretched towards her.

"My princess, if you may." Dawkins told her with a serious look.

Da Vinci took a look at Dawkins' bowl, seeing that it was empty.

"Fast…" Dante got impressed.

As promised, Da Vinci gave the doll to her brother, who quickly snatched it from her paws and hugged it tightly.

"Have you ever seen him eat that fast?" Dante gave his sister a puzzled look.

Da Vinci shook her head in response. "No."

"Honestly, why did you even have her, Da Vinci?" Dawkins wondered. "I'm positive I left her back in my room."

"In your room, huh…?" Da Vinci rubbed her head. "She was laying on the floor. It was weird that you—"

"ON THE FLOOR?!" Dawkins worried, he then examined the doll, thoroughly. "Oh, thank dog… You're perfectly fine, princess."

"Who'd dare take you from my room?" Dawkins surveyed the table.

"Haha! I'm sure it's just some of the pups, Dawkins." Dante told him. "Can't blame them, princess Positron's a freaking plush, after all."

Dawkins gasped in shook when he heard his brother. "Hold your tongue, Dante!"

"Princess Positron is not just a plush!" Dawkins sternly affirmed. "She's a celebrated, interplanetary space princess, and one of the most benevolent beings the universe has—"

"Okay, okay…!" Da Vinci heled her paws in front of him. "We know, Dawkins. Now, can we have breakfast without any more bickering?"

"I was about to leave, anyway." Dawkins stood up from his seat. "Since I'm done here, I'll be going back to—"

"And where do you think you're going?" Dante asked him.

"Back to studying, obvious— Oh, kibbles!" Dawkins sat back when he remembered one of the table's rules.

"Can't leave the table until everyone's done eating." Dante snickered. "Shouldn't have finished your bowl that fast."

"Keep quiet, you." Dawkins frowned at his brother.

Meanwhile, Dolly was looking out the window, waiting for a vehicle to arrive. A minute later, a white stretch limousine stopped in front of their house.

"There it is!" Dolly shouted. "Their limo's here!"

"Call them down then." Dylan told her. "It's not often that they have to go this early, but it's going to be a long day for the three of them… Hope they're ready."

Dolly ran out of the dining room and stopped at the base of the staircase. "TRIPLE-D, YOUR LIMO'S HERE, COME ON!"

Dylan walked out of the dining room as well, carrying the three bags. "Since they'll miss lunch and dinner as well, I made sure to pack them extra food. Hope Triple-D aren't going to be picky about it like last time."

"Pfft! Picky?!" Dolly waved her paw. "What? They gonna choose the food the staff gives 'em over ours? As if."

Dylan thought a little. "I suppose… Triple-D did say that the food humans give them there, tastes like paper."

Dylan then got a bit irritated. "Yet they have the nerve to be picky about what I pack them."

Dolly then felt a strong sensation in her stomach, which made her hung her head.

"What's taking them so long?!" she put her paw on her stomach. "COME ON, TRIPLE-D, WE'RE STARVING OVER HERE, HURRY UP!"

"Can't ya just leave their bags here?" Dolly turned to her brother as she started drooling a little when the thought of food filled her head. "Everyone else got their food, bro, so let's go eat too."

"Patience, Dolly." Dylan rubbed her back. "We'll get to eat after we send Triple-D off."

Dylan then felt the strong hunger himself. "But for their sake, they better hurry down."

Just then, Dylan and Dolly heard the faint tapping of claws approaching from the second floor. Three puppies arrived at the top of the staircase.

All three of them were identical in appearance. They had three spots on each of their ears, had a spot under their right eye, and wore pink collars with differently shaped tags attached to them. The second pair of triplets in the family—Triple-D.

They made their way down, one after another.

"What's all…" The pup in front, whose tag was in the shape of a diamond, said.

"This…" The pup in the middle, whose tag was in the shape of a heart, continued.

"Yelling about?" The pup in the back, whose tag was in the form of a circle with an X-shaped sign in it, finished.

All three lined up in front of their older brother and sister when they reached the bottom of the stairs.

Dolly glared at the pup in the middle, who had the heart-shaped tag. "What took you so long, Destiny?!"

Destiny looked to the right at her sister, who wore the diamond-shaped tag. "Dallas wanted to powder herself, which took about half an hour."

"Extra glam never hurt anyone!" Dallas winked at her.

"As for Deja Vu…" Destiny turned her head to the left, at her other sister, who wore the circle-shaped tag. "She had a bit too much fun playing in the shower."

Deja Vu just shrugged her shoulders with a goofy smile.

"You all practiced, right?" Dylan asked them.

"Well, no duh!" Destiny rolled her eyes. "We practiced all day yesterday."

"Alright, since you have several commercials to do today and you'll be coming back late, I put enough food to cover for breakfast, lunch, and dinner." Dylan put the pink bags on his younger sisters.

"Enough, you say…?" Destiny, along with Dallas, gave Deja Vu a cheeky look. "Only if Deja Vu doesn't eat everything before lunch."

"Hey!" Deja Vu frowned. "I can't help it! It's just a phase I'm going through, that's all."

"Nah, sis." Dolly playfully shook her younger sister's head. "You just always had a sweet tooth. Hehe!"

"Speaking of sweet stuff, I also put desserts in too." Dylan told the three. "Just make sure you eat your meals beforehand."

"Now, come on." Dylan headed for the main door. He unlocked and opened the door for the three.

"Give it your best!" Dolly cheered as her sisters walked down the porch stairs.

"And don't overwork yourselves, if you need rest just ask!" Dylan added.

"Rest?" Destiny waved her paw dismissively. "Oh, please. We need no rest…"

"We are…" Dallas continued.

"Pros, after all!" Deja Vu finished.

One of the vehicle's doors opened for them, and the three pups hopped in.

Dallas opened a window and blew a kiss at Dylan and Dolly. "Watch us on TV!"

The limousine then drove down the street as Dylan and Dolly watched it disappeared in the distance.

"And now, Dolly…" Dylan turned his head at her. "We eat!"

"YES! Finally!" Dolly exclaimed, stepping back into the house, as did her brother. Dylan closed the door and they both quickly walked back to the dining room.

* * *

As everyone ate, Dylan noticed that Da Vinci didn't eat that much as she appeared to be pondering on something, and by the troubled look she had, Dylan could only guess what worried her.

After everyone finished eating, Dolly, Dante, Dawkins, and Da Vinci took their bowls to the sink and started washing them. The pups, however, just began exiting the room.

"Halt!" Dylan yelled at the pups, making all of them freeze in place.

"The bowls…?" he sternly said, tapping on the table, irritated.

"AWWW!" the small pups moaned in agitation.

"Come on!" Dylan pointed at the pups' bowls. "To the sink."

 _It's bad enough that I always clean after them, but they also whine on top of that…_ Dylan thought as he headed to the sink.

After all of the small pups left their bowls on the sink, Dylan started washing. "Dolly, you go get the pups ready for the park."

"But we want to watch TV first, big bro!" One of the pups stated.

"Okay, okay…" Dylan exhaled. "Go turn the TV on, Dolly. Their favorite show should be on right now."

Hearing this, all of the pups began jumping in joy.

"TV! TV! TV! TV!" all of them chirped in unison as they gathered around Dolly.

"We're going after half an hour." Dylan stated. _Should be done here by then._

"Alright, everyone, to the living room!" Dolly told the pups as she scurried out the dining room.

All of them followed after her in a rush.

"You guys going to stay here all day?" Dylan asked his remaining siblings that were still in the room.

Dante just headed to his room without saying a word.

"Come on, princess, off we go." Dawkins said as he headed for his room as well, carrying the blue doll.

"Well, I'll be in the backyard." Da Vinci told her older brother. She stood behind him for a couple of seconds before proceeding out of the room.

"Just a second." Dylan turned to her.

"Huh…?" Da Vinci paused, wondering what her brother wanted.

Dylan walked up to her and gently grabbed her bandanna. "Got it dirty again?"

Da Vinci jerked her head at the bandanna and saw all the paint stains that were on it.

"Oh!" she sat down then lifted her paws. "Must've been from these."

"Follow me." Dylan walked passed her, heading for the bathroom.

"What about that?" she gestured towards the pile of bowls.

"Don't worry, I'll have time for that too." He told her. "Now come."

As they entered the bathroom, Dylan lifted his paw gesturing for Da Vinci to give him her bandanna, she took it off and gave it to him. Dylan then proceeded to fill up the bathroom sink with warm water, he submerged the bandanna and started rinsing it.

"You're lucky the paint's still fresh." Dylan giggled. "Otherwise, it'd be a pain to wash these stains off."

"… I can clean it myself, you know." Da Vinci cocked her head to one side.

"Yeah, I know, but I like doing it for you." he made a quick smile, eyes still on the bandanna.

Da Vinci grew a smile herself, but hide it with a paw.

"Well?" He asked her in a more concerned tone.

"Well what?" she rose an eyebrow.

"What's troubling you?"

Da Vinci started subconsciously fondling with her paws upon hearing this, she took some time before answering her brother.

"... Have you noticed that… Desmond hasn't been visiting in a while?" Da Vinci looked to the side.

"… Yes… so?" Dylan asked. "Don't expect him to be coming over every day. He's probably occupied with his own things."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm aware of that… But… Umm…" she looked back at Dylan. "He did promise to model for me, and usually Desmond comes early, but for this past week, he didn't come even once. And, have you seen him in the park? Or outside at all?"

Dylan thought for a moment after hearing his sister. "… Yeah… Now that you mention it… I guess I haven't seen him anywhere too…"

"Well, we could check on him after the park." he offered as he looked at her. "He should be at his house if not anywhere else."

Dylan finished washing the bandanna, he then pulled it out from the water, wrung it out and handed it back to Da Vinci. "You can let it dry outside since your heading to the backyard."

"Okay." Da Vinci took it.

"I'll call you when we're ready to go." He told her then went to clean the dirty bowls.

Da Vinci walked out of the bathroom, went to her room to take a bucket of paint and proceeded towards the backyard.

Sliding open the glass door, Da Vinci walked out into the backyard and paused to take in a breath before continuing to a brick wall that had several drawings on it. Da Vinci used the wall to paint on whenever she needed to spend some time outside.

She left her bandanna to dry on a round, plastic table located near the wall, then put the bucket down on the grass, soaked her paws in the paint, sat in front of the wall and started painting.

"… Ah…! There we go!" Da Vinci relaxed a little as she moved her paws across the wall, finally getting an idea of what to draw.

After a while, Da Vinci finished with her painting, that being the head of a shepherd dog on which a Bluebird had landed, and both the bird and the dog were staring into each other's eyes.

Da Vinci took a couple of steps back to get a full view of the drawing. She closed one eye and smiled at it. "This one turned out better than I expected."

"You can say that again." A voice behind her agreed. Two paws then went around Da Vinci's neck, tying the pink bandanna around it.

"Ah…!" Da Vinci jolted her head back to see Dylan smiling at her. "Is it time?"

"Yup." he put his paws around her and looked at the painting.

"What do you think?" she pointed at her drawing.

"Want me to repeat myself?" Dylan chuckled. "One of your best!"

"Hehe! Thank you." she blushed.

"Now come on. Everyone's waiting for you." he walked back to the house along with Da Vinci at his side.

* * *

When they entered, Dolly was waiting on her skateboard and with her helmet on.

"Took you two long enough." she puffed.

"The pups?" Dylan asked.

"All are waiting in front of the main door." Dolly replied.

"Good." Dylan headed to the hallway, his two sisters followed after him.

"Is Deepak coming?" Dylan turned to Dolly.

She shook her head. "Nope. He's staying here again."

"Then tell Dante to look after him while we're gone." Dylan instructed.

"Sure thing, bro." Dolly replied as she rode on her board.

"And will you stop riding your skateboard in the house?!" Dylan frowned at her. "You know the rules."

"You and your dumb rules…"Dolly murmured under her nose as she jumped off her board and exhaled in annoyance.

"Heard that!" Dylan stared her down.

"The point was for ya to hear me!" she retorted.

 _Hehe! Oh, you two…_ Da Vinci thought as she walked behind them.

"Yo, Dante!" Dolly yelled from the bottom of the staircase.

Dante peeked his head out the corner of the second floor.

"Keep an eye on Deepak, will ya?"

Dante simply nodded his head then went back to his room.

Dylan walked in front of the pile of puppies. "Does anyone need to go to the toilet before we head out?"

"NO!" they all told him.

Dylan turned to the door, put his paw on the scanner, unlocking the door, and opened it.

"BOW-WHACKA-WOW!" Dolly shouted as she rode out through the door at high speed, and jumped over the porch stairs onto the sidewalk. "EVERY DOG OUT!"

All the pups ran out of the house, running Dylan over like a train in the process, and surrounded Dolly as they waited for their older brother.

"Come on, Dylan…" Dawkins walked up to him and help him stand up, off the floor. "Up you go."

"Remind me to stand at the back whenever I let them out…" Dylan told his younger brother as he rubbed his head.

"You've been doing this for years, Dylan. You should've figured that out by now~" Dawkins walked down the stairs.

Dylan huffed, he locked the door and followed after Dawkins to the rest of his siblings.

Dylan went to the front and Dolly went to the back of the puppy pile. Dylan twitched his head towards the direction of the park, everybody then began walking down the sidewalk.

As they walked, Dylan abruptly stopped and turned around with a worried look. All of the dogs got taken aback by their older brother's reaction.

"Something wrong, bro?" Dolly asked from the other side of the sea of pups.

"I didn't see Dorothy when we went out of the house!" he started looking around. "Has anyone seen her?!"

"… Maybe we accidentally left her in the hou…" Dolly paused when she noticed a very small head walking behind Dylan as he walked through the pile of pups searching for their little sister.

When she noticed her, Dolly just laid on her board, smugly smiled, and waited for the fun.

"W-What…?" Dylan looked at her.

"What are you smiling abo—AH! Ouch, ouch, ouch!" Dylan howled when he felt someone biting his tail.

"Who the…" he turned back to see a small pup, a really small pup, biting onto his tail.

Her fur was spotless—white as snow, she had a couple of still growing teeth with which she chewed onto her brother's tail, and she wore a peach-orange collar. She was the youngest member of the family.

"Oh, there you are…!" Dylan swiped some sweat off his forehead in relief.

"Come on… Let go of your big brother's tail now~" he urged her.

She let go of his tail, ran under him as she giggled, and began jumping up and down in front of her older brother.

"You want to ride on?" he asked her. Dylan lowered his head to Dorothy's level letting her hop onto his head.

Dorothy then bit Dylan's black-furred ear and began playing with it.

"Ah! Haha…" Dylan slightly jumped when he felt her teeth. "Wish you'd grow quicker so you'd stop with that."

"HAHA!" Dolly laughed out. "It's always amusing watching Dorothy use ya as her chew toy."

Dylan just ignored her, walked back to the front and led the pups again towards the park.

As the dogs walked past Desmond's house, Dylan and Da Vinci glanced at it before continuing down the street.


	15. Without a Second Thought

In the park, all of the pups were running wild, playing games and enjoying the sunny morning.

"PASS, PASS, PASS!" Dee Dee yelled at Dizzy, who tossed her a rubber ball.

Dee Dee bumped the ball with her head towards her sister, Dizzy jumped and hit the ball back.

Meanwhile, Delgado was racing with Dolly, who was on her skateboard. The two were at even speed and were nearing the fountain of the park.

"WOOOHOOOO!" Dolly shouted out then looked at her little brother with amazement in her eyes. "Look at ya, little bro! Barely broken a sweat!"

"Hehe…!" Delgado giggled as he was panting. "As if this is hard or something…"

"Wanna go faster?" Asked Dolly.

Delgado started increasing his speed in response, he began taking the lead in their race.

Dolly adjusted her helmet as she smiled at Delgado. She dropped down into a crouch, kicked back with her hind leg, boosting her speed, and evened up with her brother again.

 _No way! You're taking the win, Dolly!_ Delgado stated to himself and began increasing his speed, yet again. Though, he had started to sweat and began feeling his muscles burn since he hadn't stopped racing with Dolly ever since they entered the park.

Finally reaching the fountain, the two dogs made a circle around it and continued in the opposite direction.

As Dolly rod her board, she couldn't help but feel admiration towards Delgado. She just watched with awe as her brother smiled, even though he was gasping for air through his teeth, he still pushed himself to keep pace with her.

* * *

Dawkins was laying under a tree, reading his medical book from where he'd left off. He took his eyes off the book when he heard steps approaching him from the side.

"How's the studying coming along?" Dylan sat next to him.

"Perfectly fine." Dawkins answered him, flipped a page and continued reading.

"Are you going to stay under the tree the whole day?" Dylan asked. "You can read that book whenever you want, why not get some exercise, instead?"

"Love to…" Dawkins faked a grin as he looked at Dylan.

"Great! Then come on!" Dylan wagged his tail.

"I was kidding, Dylan…" said Dawkins with indifference. "Couldn't you tell?"

"Aww, Dawkins…" Dylan rubbed the side of his face. "I know this is important to you, but getting some exercise does your body good."

"Obviously… But I'd much rather read a book than engage in some silly game." Dawkins said then gave it a little bit of thought. "Unless, of course… You catch my attention with something more intriguing… Perhaps."

Suddenly, something hit Dylan's head from the back, making him flinch.

"Huh…?" Dylan spun his head to look at what hit him. He saw a rubber ball and quickly recognized it as Dizzy and Dee Dee's.

"Dylan, Dylan! Toss the ball, toss the ball!" Dizzy and Dee Dee yelled at him.

Dylan put his paw on the ball and rolled it side to side when an idea crossed his mind. He threw it at his brother, the ball hit Dawkins on the head, making it wobbled a bit, then bounced back to Dylan.

Dawkins turned to his brother with an angry look.

"Sorry, Dawkins…" Dylan stopped the ball as it rolled towards him. "My paw slipped."

"Aha… Sure it did." Dawkins returned to reading. He then got hit by the ball again.

"Dylan!" Dawkins barked as he slammed his paws on the grass.

"Sorry, sorry!" Dylan made an awkward smile. He grabbed the ball and began walking to his sisters.

Dawkins kept an eye on Dylan for a bit then fixed his attention back at the book. He got hit for a third time by the ball, which finally made him snap and he leaped after Dylan. "Now you've done it!"

"Dizzy! Dee Dee…!" Shouted Dylan to the pups as he ran from Dawkins. "Got room for two more?!"

"Sure do, Dylan!" the two pups made some distance from each other as they jumped.

Dylan stopped and quickly turned around, he threw the ball up and headbutted it towards Dawkins.

"I'll teach you to hit me with a ball!" Dawkins fiercely hit the ball back at Dylan with his head.

"Now that's how I like you!" Dylan braced and met the ball with another headbutt, deflecting the ball at Dizzy, the pup bounced it at Dee Dee and she back at Dylan.

"Don't let it drop on the ground." Dylan told Dawkins as he quickly spun and hit the ball with his hind legs to Dee Dee.

"The first to drop the ball's out…!" Dizzy told them. "And so are the others to do so!"

"Winner's the last one who hasn't let the ball hit the ground" Dee Dee added then hit the ball at Dawkins. "Then the winner makes the others do whatever he wants!"

"That so?" Dawkins said as he sent the ball flying at Dylan with a paw. "Then when I win, I'll make you eat the ball, Dylan!"

" _If_ you win." Dylan corrected, flustering his brother. "And if I win, you'll be cleaning the bathroom."

Dawkins frowned at the thought of that but smirked as he accepted Dylan's challenge.

* * *

Da Vinci laid on the grass and stared into the blue sky. "Hmm, hmm…"

 _How funny…!_ She giggled to herself when she saw a cloud in the shape of a chicken.

"Big sis, what are you doing?" one of the pups—Dara, rolled next to her.

"Look up there." Da Vinci pointed at the chicken-shaped cloud.

"Haha! It's a chicken!" Dara chuckled. She then surveyed the sky to try and find other clouds that resembled animals.

"There, there! Look, look!" Dara taped Da Vinci on the shoulder. "That cloud looks like a lion's head. Raa! Raa! Haha…!"

"Sure does." Smiled Da Vinci.

"Say will you play hopscotch with us?" Dara asked.

Da Vinci nodded, but as she did, she felt someone nibbling on her ear. "Huh?!"

Another pup—Dingo, was the one who played with her ear, he did make sure not to bite too hard of course.

"Dingo… Dingo, stop." Da Vinci told him, but the pup ignored her and continued.

"That's it, mister!" Da Vinci extended her paws and grabbed him, pulling him in a hug and began tickling him. "You aren't going to listen to your big sister, are you?"

"Ah! No, no…!" Dingo begged trough laughs. "I'll listen…! Haha! Hehe…! I will, I will! Please, just… Just stop! HAHAHA!"

"Good enough for me!" Da Vinci stopped and let go of her younger brother.

"What are you… Doing just lying on… The grass here…?" Dingo asked as he tried catching his breath.

"We were watching for funny-looking clouds." Dara told him.

"Look over… Oh…" Dara got disappointed when she saw that the cloud that resembled a lion head had despaired. "Aww…! It's gone now!"

Dingo looked up to see if he could find something too. "Umm… Oh, hey, over there!"

Da Vinci and Dara looked at the direction their brother was pointing at. It was a butterfly-shaped cloud.

"What?! Oh, dog! Not some stupid butterfly!" Dingo scowled and crossed his arms. "Why not a crocodile or a dino?!"

"Hehe… What's wrong with it being a butterfly, Dingo?" Da Vinci caressed his head.

"… It's small and… Fragl!" Dingo told her.

"You mean fragile?" Da Vinci corrected. Dingo nodded.

"And it's small too, right?" she asked to which Dingo nodded again. "Reminds me of another little guy…"

Dingo rose his eyebrows in confusion. "Who?"

"You!" Da Vinci started pinching her brother's cheeks with one of her paws.

"Ah! No, no, no!" Dingo began to wriggle, trying to get out of his sister's hold.

"Haha! Dingo's a butterfly! Dingo's a butterfly!" Dara jumped around the grass.

"Am not!" Dingo stated with anger in his voice as he freed himself from Da Vinci's hug.

"You are!" she teased him.

"Yeah…? You're a larva then! Yeah, yeah, a larva!" Dingo grinned at her.

"Oh, eww! Gross!" Dara held her paw in front of her mouth. Annoyed, she then began chasing after Dingo.

"Larva, larva, you're a gross larva~!" Dingo sang as he ran circles around Da Vinci.

"Okay, okay, enough, you two." Da Vinci stepped between them.

"Humph! Whatever! Big sis and I were going to go play hopscotch anyway!" Dara sated then grabbed Da Vinci by the paw and pulled her towards the other pups who were already playing the game.

"Hey! I want in too!" Dingo ran after them.

* * *

"… You sure you can keep going?" Dolly asked Delgado, seeing that he had heavily started gasping for air. "You could use a rest."

"… No… Problem here…!" Delgado spurted out between pants. "Just… Don't slow down… Got it…! Go faster if you can!"

"Alright, if you're sure…" Dolly increased her speed, while Delgado pushed himself to go faster as well.

As they approached the fountain for the fifth time since they started racing, Delgado inhaled a quick breath, squinted his eyes and flexed his body to reach the fountain before his sister. He mustered any remaining strength he could to outrun her.

 _Damn…!_ Dolly was impressed by her brother as he took the lead. _Little guy's pushing himself harder than ever…_

However, as Delgado had his eyes closed and only focused on speed instead of what was in front of him, he didn't notice Diesel's sudden emergence from the ground and was rushed straight at him.

Dolly gasped when she noticed this, and as there was little time to act, she, without a second thought, pushed Delgado to the side just before he collided with Diesel, but now she was the one heading towards him.

With a fast bend of her knees and a strong push down on the tail of her board, Dolly jumped over Diesel, tough since she was in a rush to do so, she also went crashing in a field of large bushes.

* * *

"You're the last one standing, Dawkins" Dylan smirked as he hit the ball at him. "Better up your game, or you'll be cleaning fur from the bathtub's drain all day!"

Dylan paused for a moment when he saw all of the pups running in the same direction. "What's going on…?"

Dawkins bounced the ball back at Dylan which hit him in the head then fell on the ground.

"YES! I win!" Dawkins exclaimed in joy. He hopped to his brother with a conceited smile. "Well, how would you prefer your ball served, brother? With some eggs perhaps? I know you're a big fan of shrimps—"

Dylan put his paw on his brother's mouth, silencing him. "Wait, Dawkins…"

"What's up with the pups?" Dylan asked, concerned.

Dawkins removed Dylan's paw then looked at his siblings. "Nothing, it seems to me. Probably gathering to play a game or something like that."

"DYLAN! DYLAN!" Delgado shouted from the distance, rushing over to him. "You have to come! Quickly!"

"W-What, Delgado? What's wrong?" Dylan asked a little more alarmed now when he heard his little brother's gasping voice.

"It's Dolly…!" Delgado paused to take a breath. "We were racing when all of a sudden she pushed me to the side and next thing I know, she went flying into those big bushes over there!"

"Dawkins, Let's go!" Dylan turned to him then started running towards where his brothers and sisters had gathered. Dawkins quickly followed after him as did Delgado, who stumbled a little upon moving.

"Something wrong?" Dawkins stopped when he noticed his little brother slip.

"No, no. Just my shoulder hurts a bit, that's all." Delgado told him, they both continued after their brother.

* * *

"Is big sis alright?" some of the pups asked, worried.

"She is, don't worry about her." Da Vinci tried calming them down. "Dylan will be here soon and—"

She stopped when Dylan arrived on the scene.

"Dylan, she's somewhere in there…" Da Vinci pointed towards the field. "But I'm worried. It's been some time since Dolly crashed in those bushes, yet she still hasn't come out… What if she's hurt?"

* * *

"… Ohhh… My head…" Dolly slowly opened her eyes and found herself on the ground, surrounded by thick bushes.

Though she was dizzy from the fall, Dolly began to stand herself up. She scratched her head and rubbed her face. "Argh…! My helmet… Where did it…

Damn does it hurt… The hell…!"

Dolly tried moving but paused when she felt that her right ear was stuck onto something, or so she felt it. She pulled hard to free her ear, but stumble and fell on her back as she did so.

"…! What was that?" Dolly rubbed her ear. "… That felt… Weird…"

Shrugging it off, Dolly proceeded to make her way out.

* * *

"I'll get her out of there." Dylan reassured everyone then walked into the bushes.

As he searched through the field, Dylan poked himself on several shrubs, which he recognized as Yucca—A sharp-leaved shrub. "Ouch! Since when did the park have Yuccas? Probably some of the humans planted them here."

Walking further in, Dylan stumbled upon his dizzy sister.

"Dolly!" he ran up to her. "Are you alright, did you hurt yourself anywhere?!"

"Oh, Dylan…" Dolly rubbed one of her eyes. "Err… Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

Dolly scratched her right ear as it began irritating her.

Dylan's eyes widened in shock when he looked at Dolly's ear. "Oh, my dog… Dolly, your ear!"

"Yeah, I know, it's been irking me for a while now!" she scratched her ear even harder.

"Stop, Dolly! Stop!" Dylan grabbed her paw. "Stop scratching it!"

"Huh…?" Dolly got confused. "What's the matter?"

As he held it, Dylan showed Dolly her paw. Dolly's face froze when she saw that her paw was cover in blood.

"W-What?!" she shivered. "W-Where did this blood come from?!"

"Your ear." Dylan carefully pulled the ear in front of her face. Dolly saw two cuts on it from which blood was flowing out.

"When did this… When did this happen?!" Dolly got alarmed, but then suddenly remembered. "Was it when I pulled my ear back there?"

"Where?" Dylan asked, worried. "What did you do?"

"Well, I—" Dolly hung her head when she got cut off by a strong headache. "Ah!"

"Forget it. You'll tell me later. Let's get you out of hear." Dylan told her then grabbed her by the paw and began leading her out of the bush field.

"What about my helmet?! My skateboard?!" Dolly questioned.

"I'll have the Dimitris get them for you, right now you should be more concerned about yourself." stated Dylan.

* * *

"Oi, oi! What's happenin' here?!" D3 arrived along with his brothers.

"Why's everyone gathered here like this?" D1 walked up to Da Vinci.

"Dolly fell in there." Da Vinci pointed at the bushes. "But she hasn't come out in a while."

"That so?" D1 put on a serious look.

"Think something happened to her?" D2 asked D1, a little worried.

"We'll figure out, come on!" D1 waved to his brothers to follow him. "We're going in."

"Wait." Da Vinci stopped him. "Dylan already went in there. It shouldn't be long now, I'm sure they'll come out any mo—"

Dylan emerged at that moment, along with Dolly.

Everyone gasped in shock when they saw their sister's bleeding ear.

"B-B-Blood!" D2 shivered and backed away. "She's bleeding!"

"Oh, kibbles!" Dawkins ran up to her and examined her ear. "What happened in there? Those aren't any small cuts."

"I'm not sure…" Dylan replied then gave it a short taught. "Though, when I went in there, there were a lot of Yuccas… Dolly could have gotten her ear pierced by one of their leaves when she fell. I'm just glad she didn't get her eyes poked out by them."

Dylan then turned to his other brothers and sisters. "Alright, everyone we're going back home!"

All of the pups understood and got ready to go.

"Go lead them, Dawkins. I'll be helping Dolly." Dylan told his brother.

"Right!" Dawkins replied.

"Dimitri 1." Dylan looked at him. "I want you and your brothers to go find Dolly's skateboard and helmet."

"You got it, Dylan." D1 told him. He, D2 and D3 went in the field to search.

"Be careful in there!" Dylan yelled at them. "Watch out for shrubs with big, long, sharp leaves!"

"Oh, Dolly." Da Vinci looked at her sister, with a distressed expression.

"Don't ya worry, Da Vinci…" Dolly put her paw on her shoulder. "Your big sis ain't frail. A cut on the ear isn't that big of a—"

"Ahhh…!" Dolly groaned and rubbed her head as she felt the sharp pain hit her again.

"Did you hit your head?!" Da Vinci worried.

"It seems like it. Hope it's nothing serious." Dylan said, he gestured for Da Vinci to go on with the others as they headed back to their house.

* * *

As Dolly was holding her injured ear under the sink, in the bathroom, Dylan washed the blood away.

"How's your head?" He asked then took a cotton pad and applied peroxide on it. _Think mum did it like this…_

Dolly pated her head and smirked. "Better now. No biggie, really."

"Think mom and dad are gonna freak out over this?" Dolly jested.

"Mostly dad." he replied. "So tell me, what happened back there?"

Dolly put a paw on her chin, trying to recall the event. "Umm… When… I opened my eyes… My head was spinning and I couldn't feel a thing for a short while. As I got on my paws, at first I felt that my ear was caught onto something and I just… pulled. But thinking it now… My ear might've been pierced on to a… How did you call it?"

"A Yucca. So it's as I speculated." Dylan exhaled.

"Now hold still." he started wiping with the pad on the cuts.

"Ouch! Ouch!" she pulled away. "Be more careful, Dylan!"

"Stop whining and hold still." Dylan pulled her back to him. "This is on you, always acting with no thought."

"Hah?!" Dolly stared at her brother, baffled. "Is something wrong with your head?! There was no time to think, I had to act on the spot!"

"And look what that brought you." he waved her ear in front of her face.

"Fine, what would ya have done then, huh?!" she asked, annoyed.

"Think of something that wouldn't endanger me, obviously…" Retorted Dylan then began poking her on the head. "Instead of acting on impulse!"

"Again, Dylan, how could I? There was no time!" she threw her paws in the air. "Diesel would've gotten seriously hurt if he got hit by Delgado, especially with the speed he was going at. Both of them could have gotten injured in fact, broke a tooth, a bone, or Delgado could have been the one to sustain a head injury.

"And I'd much rather have it be me the one to get hurt rather than them!"

Dylan stood, agitated as he listened to his sister. "Argh! There's no reasoning with you! Yeah, Dolly, How very heroic of you, not caring about your safety."

"Well, what?! Would ya have left them just crash into each other?!"

"Of course not. But did it ever occur to you that you could've yelled at either of them to move out of the way, or told Diesel to get back in the hole? From what Delgado told me, you just shove him to the side, did you know that you also accidentally hit him on the shoulder? Noting to bad, but it still hurts him."

"What?!" Dolly eyed her brother. "I didn't mean to—"

"I know you didn't intend to, but do you see how doing things without thinking them over can affect not only yourself but others too?" asked Dylan with a solemn expression.

Dolly went silent, thinking to herself as Dylan continued wiping at her cuts.

"… Give me your paw." she told him.

"Why?" Dylan wondered.

"Just do it…"

Dylan rose his paw, Dolly took it and put it onto her chest. "Can ya feel them?"

Dylan felt the small scars underneath his sister's fur. "What about them?"

"True that most are from me falling on the ground when I started practicing with the skate at first or jumping over roofs, or fences…" Dolly admitted. "But some I got from putting myself in harm's way; just so that our family could be safe… You can understand me, right, Dylan?"

"… I know it was with good intention… Yet, if you keep doing reckless things like that, something very bad may happen to you sooner or later." Dylan moved his paw from her chest back to holding her ear. "I want you to give it a little thought at least before doing things like that."

Dolly huffed and laid her head on the sink. "… I'll go apologies to Delgado after this…"

"I don't think there's a need to, he knows you didn't do it on purpose." Dylan finished disinfecting Dolly's wounds. "Now where did I put the bandages?"

"Ahem!" Dawkins cleared his throat from behind Dylan, getting his attention. "There's no need for bandages, Dylan. She just needs some medical plaster."

Dawkins then tossed him a small box of adhesive bandage.

"Oh, thanks…" Dylan said. He opened the box, pulled out a bandage and went on to stick it onto Dolly's cuts.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Dolly backed away. "Yeah, how about no? I'm not walking around with that on my ear."

"Well, we could always just sew your ear back together." Dawkins offered.

Dolly started sweating when she heard her little brother say that and turned to Dylan. "Bandage, bandage! Give me the bandage!"

"It was merely a suggestion, Dolly. No need to overreact like that." Dawkins walked out of the bathroom.

Dylan stuck the bandage over one of her cuts then stuck another onto the second one. "There! That should take care of that."

"Thanks." Dolly smiled at him.

"No problem." Dylan replied.

Dolly then started scratching her ear with her hind leg, but right as she did, Dylan slapped it away. "No scratching."

"But it still irritates me." Dolly complained.

"Bear with it." Dylan smirked at her and proceeded to leave the room.

"Aw, dog!" Dolly exclaimed and exited as well.

Dylan walked to Da Vinci's room and knocked on her door. As the door opened, Da Vinci poked her head out, nose covered in red paint.

"Ah, your nose, Da Vinci." Dylan pointed at it.

"Oh…" Da Vinci crossed her eyes to look at her nose. "Never mind that, how's Dolly?"

"Fine. She will survive." Dylan joked.

"That's a relief. So, what is it you want?"

"Well… We were going to go check on Desmond, remember?" Dylan reminded her.

"Ah, yeah, yeah! Okay, just a second. I need to finish something first." Da Vinci told him and went back into her room, but then poked her head out again. "Actually, I'd like your opinion on this."

Dylan rose an eyebrow and walked into her room. Upon entering, he saw two canvases next to each other, with the same image portrayed onto both of them—Desmond looking over his shoulder with bandages wrapped around his back.

"Desmond asked me to give him a copy of the painting from when we first met." Da Vinci sat in front of the paintings.

"Yeah, I remember." Dylan sat next to her.

"I'm not sure if the second one is as good as the first one…" she looked at him. "Tell me what you think. The left one is the original."

Dylan took a close look at the right painting and examined it carefully for a while. "Seems fine to me. Sure, it's not one hundred percent like the original, but it took me quite a while to spot some minor differences."

"Alright then…" Da Vinci walked up to her desk to take out some cordage. "Mind if you carry it on your back?"

"Not at all." Dylan laid down as his sister tied the canvas to his back.

"Now we're good to go." Da Vinci smiled. The two walked out of the room and headed for the main door.

As they were about to exit, Dolly approached them from behind. "Where are ya two going?"

"Checking on Desmond." Dylan answered.

"Then I wanna come too." Dolly told them.

"I'd prefer that you stayed here and helped Dawkins with the pups while we're gone." Dylan said.

"Why? Dante can help him with them." Dolly pointed out.

Dylan and Da Vinci looked at each other and back to Dolly.

"Really…?" Dylan asked. "You want to leave Dawkins and Dante to take care of the pups?"

"Well…" Dolly scratched the back of her head. "Now that ya mention it…"

"Bye, Dolly." Dylan waved at her as he and Da Vinci exited the house.

"Hey, wait!" Dolly yelled to them as she stepped out the door. "Tell Des I said hi!"

"Will do." Dylan replied.

"Those plasters look good on you!" joked Da Vinci then giggled.

"Ya ain't being funny, sis!" Dolly frowned at her.

She then walked back into the house. As Dolly made her way towards the kitchen to start preparing lunch for her siblings, she noticed Dawkins in her way. "What?"

Dawkins lifted his paw, showing a needle with a thread on it.

"No!" Dolly exclaimed then spun him around and pushed him to the kitchen. "You're helping me prepare lunch!"


	16. Shaking Paws

Da Vinci was moving from one side of her brother to the other, trying to adjust the canvas on his back as they walked.

"Da Vinci…!" Dylan turned to her, feeling slightly agitated. "Don't worry, the painting won't fall."

"Just in case." Da Vinci replied. "I think I didn't tie the cordage firmly enough, could be loose."

"It's not loose. Trust me, I can feel it." He shook his back along with the canvas a little to demonstrate. "See?"

"Alright." she went to his side. "Just don't want it to fall and get ruined, you know?"

At that moment, Da Vinci felt something wet drop on her muzzle, making her look up at the sky. "Uh-oh, I don't like how those clouds are gathering."

Dylan looked up as well when he heard her. "Oh! Better hasten our pace, or the rain's going to ruin the painting."

"Like I'll let that happen, come on!" Da Vinci exclaimed as the two made a quick sprint to Desmond's house.

Approaching the house, the two climbed the porch stairs, Da Vinci sat in front of the main door, while Dylan stood up as the canvas was getting in his way.

"Huh…?" He looked around the door. "Do you see a bell anywhere?"

"Umm, no…" Da Vinci searched as well. "Just knock."

Dylan did as his sister suggested, though, they found themselves waiting for quite some time. As they did, Dylan noticed the red paint that was still on his sister's nose.

"Look at me," Dylan told her as he licked his paw.

"Huh? Ah! Hey!" Da Vinci exclaimed as she tried shaking Dylan's paw off her nose.

"Hold still." Dylan wiped the paint off of her. "There you go."

"Dylan, I have paint-stains all over my fur, who cares?" Da Vinci pouted.

"Tsk-tsk." He shook his paw at her. "It only looks good on the fur, not on the nose. Plus, it looked like you had a bleeding nose."

"Really?! Blech! Nasty!" She stuck her tongue out.

Dylan turned his attention back to the door.

"… Sure takes him a long time to answer." He scratched his head.

"Maybe he isn't home?" Da Vinci assumed.

"Sure he is. Where else could he be?" told her Dylan. "On a vacation? Doubt it… He could just be busy right now or something."

"I guess." Da Vinci rubbed her chin. As she did, she came to a sudden realization. "Hey, Dylan…"

"Yeah?"

"Have we visited Desmond before?" she asked.

Dylan came to the same realization himself, the moment Da Vinci asked him that. "Now that you mention it, I think not… In fact, this is our first time visiting him, isn't it?"

"Sure is." Da Vinci nodded. "Hah…? It's been a month and a half now, and we haven't visited him even once."

"Not like we had any opportunities to do so, but yeah, should have done it once or twice at least," Dylan said.

"Oh, hold on…!" Da Vinci gave it a thought. "His human's probably going to answer the door instead of him, don't you think?"

"Ah! I didn't think of that!" Dylan began to worry. "How do you think his human will react when he sees two dogs standing in front of his door?!"

Da Vinci began nervously tapping with her paw as both of them were anticipating this possibility. Just then, they both got startled by a clicking sound that made them jump a bit. The door cracked open and Desmond poked his head out.

"Desmond!" Da Vinci exclaimed the moment she saw him. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you in a whole week."

Dylan wiped some sweat off his forehead as he smiled. "And here I thought we'd have to deal with a human."

"Why did you come…?" Desmond walked out of the house in full display.

Now that they had a better view of him, Dylan and Da Vinci were surprised to discover how haggard Desmond appeared.

"Desmond… Your spots look pale, are you alright?" Dylan asked, concerned.

"Are you ill?" Da Vinci worried.

"Oh, no… I'm not ill, I'm fine… Really…" Desmond told them.

Upon a closer look, Da Vinci noticed that Desmond had dried eyes, just like Dante, but unlike him, Desmond appeared to be in a worse state.

"I guess I'm a little tired… But that's all, nothing to worry about…" Desmond tried reassuring them.

"You sure?" Dylan asked him.

"Yeah, yeah…" Desmond waved with his paw in a very slow and loose manner.

He then noticed the canvas on Dylan's back and pointed at it. "What's that…?"

"Oh, yeah!" Da Vinci went to untie it from her brother. "It's for you!"

She gave him the painting, with a grin on her face.

Desmond looked at it, though it was kind of hard for him to focus on the image. "… It's me… Oh! From when we first met…?"

"Uh-huh!" Da Vinci nodded happily. "Do you like it?"

"Um, yeah…! It's really nicely done, Da Vinci… Thank you…" Desmond forced a weak smile.

"… Are you going to invite us in?" Dylan asked.

"Huh…?" Desmond took some time to process the question. "Err… Yeah, yeah! Please, come in…"

Desmond carefully grabbed the painting with his mouth and moved back into his house. Da Vinci took the cordage and wrapped it around her neck as she and Dylan entered after him and closed the door.

As Dylan walked through the hallway, he was taken aback from Desmond's clumsy way of walking.

He leaned to his sister and whispered to her. "You seeing this?"

"Yeah," she whispered back, "He's walking quite oddly."

"Not only that, but he also looks like a ghost," Dylan added, "I don't buy that he's just tired."

"Same here." Da Vinci agreed. "The way he talks is weird too."

"This way…" Desmond murmured, barley getting the two dogs to hear him.

He turned right, entering the living room. There, he put the painting down, near the wall. _I'll hang it up somewhere later…_

Dylan and Da Vinci entered right after him and began examining the room. There was a glass table in the middle of the room, a couch and two chairs around the table, a wide window, which had a view of the street outside, and a plasma TV mounted onto the wall.

"Not bad," Dylan said then sneered and murmured to his sister, "Our TV's bigger though."

Da Vinci lightly giggled.

"Well…" Desmond turned to them. "Make yourselves at home… I'll go get you something to eat..."

"There's no need, Desmond," Dylan reassured him.

"Please, you're my guests here…" Desmond objected. "I'll be right back…"

Desmond headed towards the kitchen. Dylan and Da Vinci went to jump on the couch when their ears stood up as they caught the sound of an abruptly tapping on the window. Looking outside, they both saw it had started to rain.

"Seems like we'll be staying here for a while." Da Vinci proceeded to jump on the furniture.

"What's the matter?" She noticed her brother had paused, then taped with a paw next to her. "Hop on!"

Dylan sat on the floor, inhaled, and exhaled. "I just realized, I won't have to be taking care of any chores for the next hour or two!"

He jumped happily next to his sister and sprawled on the couch. "Ahhh… Bliss!"

"Should come over at Desmond's place more often, gives me an excuse to get away from all the stress." Dylan closed his eyes, enjoying the softness of the couch.

Opening his eyes again, Dylan noticed that the TV had something running on it, it was the documentary "Planet Dinosaur". He smiled from ear to ear and wagged his tail when he saw it as the series was one of his favorites.

Da Vinci, on the other hand, had her attention grabbed by a sketchbook that lied on the table, next to it was a chewed-up pencil. There were drawings of three-dimensional shapes on it, but Da Vinci didn't pay them much attention as she was confused by the chaotic scribbles all over the drawings. _Why would he…?_

She picked up the sketchbook and flipped a page to discover yet another mess of lines, but this one had been slightly ripped, making Da Vinci frown in concern.

"Dylan, look at this." she showed her brother the sketchbook.

Dylan moved his gaze from the TV to the sketchbook. "Oh…! Desmond did this? Umm… Maybe he was just angry with how the drawings turned out?"

Da Vinci shook her head in disagreement. "Why would he? Look! The shapes are perfectly drawn! So why would he ruin them like this?"

Da Vinci found herself getting agitated the more she tried to wrap her head around this.

Desmond walked in the room, almost stumbling in the process, carrying two bowls, one in his mouth, and the other in his paw. He placed the bowls on the table, in front of the two dogs, and jumped onto one of the chairs.

Dylan took a bite and was surprised by how pleasant the taste was. "These kibbles are delicious! Aren't they just normal, though?"

"The kibbles you're eating are of very high quality… And contain more meat in them than average…" Desmond explained. "Bad thing about them is that they're pretty expensive…"

"Wished we could eat kibbles like these every day." Dylan smiled as he chewed.

"Hehe, trust me, you wouldn't want to… You'll get numb to the taste quickly…" Desmond somewhat smiled.

"So, is your human out, right now?" Dylan asked.

"… My human…?! Oh, yeah. I guess I never told you, did I…?"

"Told us what?" Dylan rose his ears.

"I don't have a human…" Desmond told them. "Like you, I live without one."

Dylan stopped chewing and stared at Desmond, astonished. Da Vinci did the same.

"… Seriously?!" Dylan swallowed.

Desmond nodded slowly. "I was very nervous at first… But… It's been over a month, so I'm a little more used to it now…

"That's why I was so surprised that you guys lived all by yourselves, the first time we met… I honestly didn't think that there'd be other dogs who managed without any human supervisors… Seeing you managing just fine, made me more confident, to be honest…"

"Well, that sounds great! I'm happy that you're doing fine, Desmond." Dylan gave him a warm smile. "If it's going to put you more at ease, our family wasn't like this from day one. We once had a human too, truth be told."

He chuckled a little to himself. "When I say 'we', it's more mum and me, actually."

Desmond's ears perked up. "Really…?! And here I thought you always lived like this… So, umm, what happened…?"

"It was a long time ago, I think I was four years old at the time, Da Vinci had just discovered what crayons were, and Dawkins was still nibbling on my tail; though, I don't remember all that much." Dylan laid down on the couch. "Mum told us that our human was a very, very odd person; she was quite bizarre."

"Oh…!" Desmond cocked his head to the side. "Was your human crazy…?"

"Oh, no. Not crazy, just a bit strange compared to other humans." clarified Dylan. "She was also quite rich."

"How rich…?" Desmond got intrigued.

"A billionaire."

Desmond almost fell off his chair when he heard this. _Hah! And Dante says I'm a rich dog…_

"You sure you aren't confusing billionaire with a millionaire, Dylan…?" Desmond questioned.

"I'm not confusing the two, she is indeed a billionaire," Dylan repeated.

"Since she could afford it, our human had several houses all around Europe, two of them are here in London, in fact. She lived with mum in one of those houses—the one we currently reside in, but one day she left to live on some island, believe it or not. Left us the house and we live by ourselves ever since." Dylan took another bite out of the bowl.

"Did she leave you any money?"

Dylan shook his head. "Nope, not even a single penny. Can't complain though, we got a free house, after all."

"See? Even though mum and I felt very nervous when our human moved out at first, we quickly adjusted to our new style of life. You will too, Desmond." Dylan reassured him.

"You think so, huh…?" Desmond rubbed his ear, feeling somewhat uncertain.

"… Interesting… And, about your human, she hasn't returned since then…? Even once…?"

"I'll say it like this; I wouldn't be surprised if our human has forgotten about us. It's not like anyone misses her… Except maybe for mum, but even she isn't that mournful about it," Dylan told him.

Desmond pondered as he was listening to Dylan. _Why is he excluding Doug from this...? Dolly is his age, but he hasn't talked about her either... And what of Dante...? Both he and Da Vinci are around the same age... Why did Dylan only mention Delilah, Da Vinci, and Dawkins...?_

He then shifted his attention to Da Vinci and noted that her bowl was still full.

"Da Vinci… What's the matter…? You haven't touched your food, don't you like it…?"

Dylan turned to Da Vinci as well. "What is it, sis?"

Now that Da Vinci had Desmond's attention, she took the pencil from the table, put the sketchbook at an angle at which only she and Dylan could see and began writing on it. "Say, Desmond, I see that you've got the hang of the latest assignment I gave you."

"Ah, yeah…!" Desmond exclaimed. "Three-dimensional shapes, I've been practicing a lot on those… Though, I still can't figure out how to draw a circle in a three dimensional way…"

 _That's because the way to do that is to apply shading, dummy, something you've yet to learn._ Da Vinci thought as she stared Desmond with an indifferent look. "That's fine, I'll help you out with that."

Da Vinci started tapping with the pencil on the paper, dragging Dylan's attention towards her. He saw that Da Vinci had written "Can you leave the two of us alone for a bit, Dylan?" on the sketchbook. He was curious as to why Da Vinci didn't just ask but figured that she probably had a reason and decided to comply.

"Hey, Desmond, mind telling me where the bathroom is?" Dylan jumped off the couch and started hopping on his paws.

"After exiting this room, you continue down the hallway and the first door to the left is your stop…" Desmond pointed out of the room shakily.

"Thanks." Dylan made a quick strode out of the room.

"He sure is in a rush…" Desmond said, amused as he watched Dylan ran out of the room. Turning back to his other guest, Desmond was surprised by Da Vinci's focused eyes that were gazing right at him, she was tapping with the pencil on the sketchbook and was frowning as well. "W-What is it, Da Vinci…?"

"Come here." She said with a stern tone as she pointed next to her.

Desmond was confused about Da Vinci's sudden change in attitude. He did as told, but when he went on to jump off the chair, Desmond, instead, fell on the floor, which changed Da Vinci's frown into a look of worry. Noticing this, Desmond stood up in a rush and continued to move onto the couch.

"Don't worry, just tripped a little there, I'm fine…" Desmond tried reassuring her.

Da Vinci flipped a few pages back to the drawings covered in scribbles and showed them to Desmond. "Explain this."

"Err… Well, I didn't like how they came out… A-And I was agitated. Plus, as I said, I was tired…" He tried excusing himself.

"Desmond, I can see that you've drawn the shapes perfectly well, who do you think you're fooling?" Da Vinci put the sketchbook back on the table. "Not to mention that since Dylan and I arrived here, you've been acting strange… Well?"

Desmond began to shake a little and looked away from Da Vinci then made some space between them. "Nothing to concern yourself with, Da Vinci…"

"Really now?" Noticing his sudden trembling, Da Vinci tossed him the pencil, which Desmond barely caught. She then taped with her claw on the sketchbook "You won't mind drawing me a cube then, do you?"

Desmond squinted as he tensed up and moved back to his original position to start drawing. As he did, Da Vinci kept a close look at him from the side.

* * *

_I wonder what was on her mind?_ Dylan thought to himself as he walked through the hallway. _Asking me to leave them both alone…_

Reaching the bathroom, Dylan turned his head towards it, his attention got caught by a creaking noise further down the hallway. Dylan saw a door, which was halfway opened. Seeing as how this door was the only one that was opened and no other was, irked Dylan slightly and he began walking towards it. "Argh… Close your doors properly, Desmond, geez!"

But as he was about to close it, Dylan paused when he saw a curved monitor in the room and peeped inside to take a better look. "Oh, wow! I've never seen such a monitor up close before."

 _I know I shouldn't be doing this without permission, but… Just a quick look._ Dylan told himself as he entered the room.

As soon as he entered, Dylan saw a bed to his left and instantly realized in what room he was in. "This is Desmond's room, huh…?"

The monitor he was intrigued in was stood upon a white desk, the computer was located to the right side of the desk, under it; there was a black swivel chair in front of the desk, and behind all of that was a window with blue curtains.

Dylan moved to a bookshelf located to his right. Looking through the shelf, Dylan saw that there weren't many books, but there was a variety of genres in them—epics, fairy tales, and romances, there were even some comic books.

He even saw the book Desmond bought from the natural history museum. "This brings back memories."

Before he reached for the book, Dylan slid his paw across the shelf and scowled when he saw how much dirt there was on it. "Ick! Doesn't he clean?"

He then took the book and noted that there was a piece of paper sticking out from the end.

"What's this?" Dylan noticed the numbers—1, and 2 written on the paper. "What are these numbers for…?"

Dylan looked at the other books and saw that they all had papers with numbers written on them. Giving it a short thought, Dylan figured out what the numbers were for. "Like reading books multiple times, eh, Desmond?"

"Usually, I'll read a book only once." Dylan put the book back on the shelf. He then looked to the romance books again. _I have never been a fan of those, though._

Turning his attention back at the monitor, Dylan saw that the computer's power light was flashing, but the only thing he could see on the monitor was a black screen. _Sleep mode?_

Dylan jumped onto the chair, but the moment he got on the seat, the chair started spinning fast as it had a loose swivel base. Dylan quickly grabbed onto one of the armrests so as not to fall. "Whoa, Hah hah! Didn't think it'd be this loose, heh heh."

On the desk, there was a wireless keyboard and mouse, Dylan went on to press the spacebar to wake the computer up from its standby mode when he suddenly stopped himself.

 _… I shouldn't. I came here just to see the monitor, not rummage through his computer._ Dylan thought to himself as he pulled his paw away from the keyboard. "Better leave and just close the door as I was going to—"

"HEY…!" A voice shouted behind Dylan, making him jump in alarm. Dylan jerked his head back to see Desmond and Da Vinci, both were standing in the doorway.

Seeing Dylan standing in front of the monitor made Desmond's heart skip a beat.

"What are you…?! Off the chair this instant, Dylan...!" Desmond barked, rushing over to him with anger in his eyes.

Dylan got off the chair with a quick jump. "I'm sorry, Desmond. I didn't mean—"

"What do you think you're doing snooping around like this…?!" Desmond loomed over Dylan, staring him down.

"I, um… I only wanted to see the monitor, nothing more than that, honest!" Dylan explained as his ears dropped.

Desmond took a look at the monitor and saw that the screen was still turned off. _It doesn't seem like he's seen anything…_

"Out…!"He started pushing Dylan towards the door.

"Dylan what did you do?" Da Vinci asked, worried.

"Da Vinci, you stay outside too…" Desmond told her with a solemn tone as he shoved Dylan out of the room. Desmond then walked back into his room and closed the door shut.

"What were you doing in his room?" Da Vinci turned to her brother.

"I was going to close Desmond's room, but then I saw that he had one of those curved monitors, and I just couldn't resist the urge to check it out," Dylan told her, "That's all."

* * *

Desmond jumped onto the chair and woke the computer up by moving the mouse. When the screen turned on, there was the chat application opened up. Desmond quickly closed the application and turned the computer off. _That was close… Too close. If Dylan saw the messages the boss's been sending me… This whole mission would have been ruined… I mustn't be this careless as to leave my room in the open like this..._

Desmond slammed himself on the cheek to try and calm down. He then went on to exit his room. _I'll keep my room locked whenever they're around. Next time, I may not be this lucky…_

* * *

When Desmond exited his room, he saw Dylan and Da Vinci sitting in the hallway, waiting for him.

"Desmond, I sincerely apologize for entering your room without permission." Dylan put a paw on his chest. "I let my curiosity get the better of me, and I'm sorry for that."

Desmond closed the door and walked up to Dylan. "… You really only wanted to see my monitor…?"

"Yes, that was all…" Dylan said with an honest look in his eyes.

"Fine then…" Desmond sighed as he sat down. "Err… Look… I have some very important things on that computer and I don't want you messing around with them, alright…?"

"Yeah, of course, I understand." Dylan nodded. "I promise, I won't wander around your house like this again."

"If exploring the house is what you wanted, you should have simply asked, Dylan…" Desmond told him.

"I really should have. Sorry again, Desmond."

"Alright, alright…" Desmond stood up. "I'll overlook it, but don't let me catch you a second time…"

Seeing that the two dogs have settled things, Da Vinci poked her brother on the side to get his attention.

"Umm, Dylan…" Da Vinci said with concern in her voice. "You should come see this…"

"See what?" Dylan looked at her, confused.

"It's the reason we were looking for you." Da Vinci said as she glimpsed at Desmond. "It's about Desmond."

Desmond turned his head to the side when Da Vinci said his name. "I told you, it's nothing to be worried about…"

Da Vinci leaned closer to Dylan and whispered. "I know what's up with him."

With a twitch of her head, she gestured back towards the living room. Dylan followed her, Desmond gave out a groan and wobbled after them.

Entering the living room again, the three dogs moved onto the couch, where Da Vinci handed Desmond the pencil.

"Draw me a cylinder," she told him.

Desmond moved his paw to the sketchbook to do just that, but the moment the pencil's tip touched the paper, Desmond's paw started trembling and he dropped the pencil.

Dylan got bewildered as he watched. He stared at Desmond, waiting for him to say something, but Desmond just stood silent, contemplating whether to tell Dylan or not.

"… Noting to be worried abo—"

"Desmond…" Dylan put his paw on Desmond's shoulder. "What's going on, tell me."

"Go on, tell him what you told me." Da Vinci took the pencil away.

"What a pain…" Desmond moaned as he rubbed his eye. "Alright then… It started around a week ago… I've been feeling kind of sick for the past couple of days… I've barely slept too; some nights I couldn't even fall asleep, I just found myself roaming around my house until sunrise… All of this has been eating away at me and I don't even know what the problem is…

"I tried distracting myself by focusing on my drawing skills, and it worked… For a short time, then all I could do was scribble around with the pencil, I couldn't draw a single thing right, so I just stopped… This whole week's been horrible, honestly… I've been feeling a lack of motivation lately as well..."

"You sure have been mumbling a lot. Not to mention that you've been shaking like a leaf." Dylan put the back of his paw on Desmond's forehead. "Huh…?! Doesn't seem like you've got a fever."

"I told you, I'm not sick…" Desmond slammed Dylan's paw aside. "Plus, I said that I've been feeling sick, not that I actually am…"

"Lift you left paw," Dylan told him.

"What?"

"Come on, I want to check something."

Desmond lifted his left front leg, Dylan put his paw on the left side of Desmond's chest to check for his heart rate, he felt Desmond's heart pounding at a rapid pace, Dylan waited for half a minute before pulling his paw away. "Your heart's beating like crazy. Are you stressed out?"

Desmond nodded.

"Since when?"

Desmond started fumbling with his paws. "From the past five days…"

 _Don't know what's been stressing him out so much…_ Dylan pondered. _But if it's stress and lack of motivation as he says, I think I know the perfect dog to help him out with these problems._

"You know Deepak, right?" Dylan asked him.

"What about him…?" Desmond replied.

"In our house, he's the one everyone else turns to when they feel high amounts of negative emotions, or simply just want to relax. He's really good at it, despite him being young."

"I don't know, Dylan…" Desmond gave it some taught. "Deepak's just a pup, I don't think he'll be able to help all that much."

"Trust me, I'm sure he'll be able to."

"... Well, alright, if you're that confident in him…" Desmond sighed.

As Desmond and Dylan were talking, Da Vinci took the sketchbook, slowly ripped the page where she had written so as not to draw Desmond's attention, quickly folded it, and tucked it under her bandana. _Better if Desmond doesn't know that I told Dylan to leave the room, he might get suspicions of something._

"So you're going to Deepak for help?" Da Vinci joined the conversation.

"I'll give it a shot, but I doubt he'll do much…" Desmond looked at her with uncertainty.

"Hey now, come on!" Da Vinci started playfully shaking him. "Don't be such a pessimist, you won't get better with that kind of mindset."

"I'm not being a pessimist, just a realist…" Desmond huffed as he turned away from her.

"You just haven't seen him in action." Da Vinci reassured him. "I suggest we go to Deepak as soon as the rain stops."

"Actually, I think it'd be best if Desmond came tomorrow," Dylan said.

"What's the problem? Deepak isn't busy or anything right now, right?" Da Vinci replied.

Dylan grabbed Desmond's head and turned it towards his sister. "You want him to go the way he is now?"

"It'd be better if you get a good night's sleep first," Dylan stated, "Otherwise, you won't be able to properly focus."

"But I told you, I can't get myself to sleep, Dylan…" Desmond pointed out.

"Not to worry, mum's got a bottle of sleeping pills she keeps in a drawer in her and dad's room for whenever Dante's got a hard time sleeping. I'll just get you some of those."

"Sleeping pills…?" Desmond gave it a thought. "… That could work… I'm not sure though, do they have any side effects…?"

"They can cause daytime drowsiness if you take them during the middle of the night, which I strongly recommend you don't do, take them right before you get in bed and everything should be alright, okay?" Dylan said.

"Yeah, okay… So long as they help me take a proper nap…" Desmond scratched his head. He then turned to Da Vinci as a thought popped up in his head. "Say, Da Vinci, I just thought of something. You told me that to make a three-dimensional circle… A sphere was it…? I'd have to add shading, which is lesson four, right, and I'm on lesson three right now…"

"No, you're on lesson two." Da Vinci rose two of her digit fingers. "Lesson three is perspective."

"Oh…! Well, anyway, draw a circle…"

Da Vinci did as Desmond told her. "And..?"

"Now draw a curved line from one end of the circle to the other…" Desmond pointed at the circle.

Drawing the curved line, Da Vinci saw that now the circle had a sphere-like appearance. "Hey! Would you look at that, it looks like a sphere now!"

"Yeah! It really does, doesn't it….?" Desmond smiled at her.

"Guess I never thought about doing it like this… Cool little trick, Desmond." Da Vinci smiled back at him, but then pondered for a moment. "But I'm sure I would've eventually figured it out on my own."

Desmond frowned at her when he heard this.

"… So… What now…?" He asked.

"Well, Planet Dinosaur's still running on the TV, so let's watch it until the rain stops," Dylan offered.

Dylan and Da Vinci laid down on the couch and fixed their eyes on the TV, Desmond, on the other hand, stood still, sitting as he looked at both Dylan and Da Vinci.

"Aren't you going to lay down? It's more comfortable than sitting on the couch," Dylan said.

"… I know… I, um…" Desmond looked at the TV then back to Dylan. "I've never watched movies or shows with someone else before…"

"Really?" Dylan rose an eyebrow, a bit surprised. "Well, there's a first time for everything!"

Desmond dropped down in an awkward manner, earning some odd looks from both Dylan and Da Vinci.

"Heh heh… I'm just a little tense…" Desmond made an awkward smile.

Dylan and Da Vinci shrugged it off and went back to watching.

As he watched with them, Desmond noticed that he had started enjoying the show far more than he usually did.


	17. Blackout

After splashing his face with water to wake himself up, Desmond stared at himself it the mirror for some time.

"Hmm…" Desmond fixed his eyes onto his reflection as he rubbed his cheek.

"… Those sleeping pills really did the trick… My eyes aren't hurting as much as yesterday, I feel full of energy too…"

He then brought his paw from his cheek to the front of his face and saw that it was still trembling.

Desmond sighed as he looked at his paw shaking. "… Damn it… Nothing's changed…"

"Argh…!" Desmond pulled his ears in frustration. "I don't understand, I thought that getting some quality of sleep would help, but it doesn't seem like it…"

"Maybe breakfast will help…" Desmond walked out of the bathroom and headed for the kitchen.

As he poured kibbles into his bowl, he pondered on a thought he had ever since Dylan and Da Vinci's visit. He took the bowl and went to his room. There, Desmond jumped on the chair, put the bowl to the side, booted the computer, and waited for it to load.

"… First the Dimitris and now Dylan… It's been bothering me a lot lately…" Desmond's body began to tremble. "When the Dimitris were talking to Bernard, Dimitri 2 said that they knew where Bernard was coming from… But Bernard's a stray cat… And Dylan, he was only mentioning his mother, Da Vinci, and Dawkins when he talked about his human... It's weird, why didn't he also mention Doug, Dolly, or Dante…?"

When the computed loaded, Desmond opened a file containing an image of two Dalmatians, a male, and a female, standing next to each other. The male Dalmatian's ears were both covered in black fur and wore a red collar, the female Dalmatian had two black spots on both of her ears and wore a blue collar; both had golden round tags.

"Pongo and Perdita..." Desmond focused on the two dogs. "Based on the samples the boss's nephew acquired, the entire Dalmatian family are direct descendants of these two—is what the boss has told me… However, what Dylan said and the Dimitris implied, makes it sound like the Dalmatians may not all be related to Pongo and Perdita, or even amongst themselves… If so, that's a problem… The boss told me she specifically wants these dogs because they descend from Pongo and Perdita, but if Dylan and his family aren't all related by blood to them, I have to single out the ones that are…"

Desmond leaned back on his chair and groaned in agitation. "Great…! The mission just got more complicated…"

He went on to take a bite out of the kibbles, but as his body began to tremble again, Desmond accidentally pushed the bowl off the desk, making it fall and splatter kibbles all over the floor.

Looking at his bowl on the ground, Desmond's eyes narrowed as a swift wave of anger took over him, he ground his teeth and slammed his paws on the desk, scratching it with his claws. "Argh, Why did this had to…!?"

Realizing he's acting on impulse, Desmond quickly inhaled and exhaled and rubbed his face, calming himself down. "It's alright, nothing serious, I can clean it up easily, nothing to get angry over…"

Pulling his paws away, Desmond saw that they had started to shake even more. He started sweating, but shrugged it off, focusing on his thoughts. "Of course, I could be wrong about this… After all, this is all just speculation based on vague things Dylan and the Dimitris had said… Still, it won't hurt to investigate this…"

Desmond turned his attention back at the two Dalmatians' image to take a last look at them. He fixed his eyes at Perdita in particular.

"… She sure is an attractive dog…" Desmond blushed a little. "Now I know where Delilah inherited her good looks from…"

He then turned the computer off and jumped off the chair. "In any case, it might be more work, but I have a lot of time to look into this speculation of mine…

"I'll clean here quickly and head out… Dylan and Deepak are expecting me today, don't want to make them wait…"

Desmond wobbled his way to the utility room to get a broom.

* * *

Dylan was cleaning the living room when he heard a knock on the main door.

"I'll get it!" Dolly said as she slid down the banister.

"It must be Desmond." Dylan guessed, looking out of the living room.

Dolly put her paw on the scanner to unlock the door and open it. Outside, Desmond was standing on the doorstep as he forced a small smile.

"Good morning, Dolly…" Desmond wobbly waved his paw as he sat in front of her.

"Des!" She exclaimed. "Morning! I heard what's been going on with ya. Ya feeling better today?"

"Certainly better than…" Desmond paused when he noticed the medical plasters on Dolly's right ear. "Dolly, your ear…! What happened…?!"

Dolly brought her ear to her face and made a smug smile. "Oh, this? Pfff! It's nothing."

"Dolly…!" Desmond insisted.

"Hah hah! Okay, okay. Well…Ya should've been there." Dolly flipped her ear to the side but flinched when a sharp pain struck it. Dolly quickly put on a smile, trying to make it seem as if that didn't affect her. "Heh heh... Umm, so there I was, in the park, skating with Delgado who ran alongside me, when suddenly, a small earthquake started and the ground under Delgado began to gape open!"

"There was no time to think, only to act, so I quickly pushed Delgado to the side, saving him from the danger, but, alas…" Dolly said with a dramatic voice, she then spun in place and fell towards Desmond, expecting him to catch her, which he did.

Desmond was looking at her with a puzzled expression.

"I was about to fall into a deep, dark hole…!" She continued. "Luckily for me, I managed to grab onto the edge of the hole and I held for dear life, the sides of the hole were layered with sharp rocks and my poor right ear got cut by some of them.

"Delgado tried to help me, but I told him: 'No, Delgado! Run, save yourse—'"

"She fell in some bushes." Dylan nonchalantly said as he walked up to Desmond and Dolly.

"W-Wha…?! Dude, seriously?!" Dolly growled. "I was getting Desmond excited. Way to ruin the fun."

"Really…?" Desmond asked him.

Dylan nodded. "Got her ear tore by a Yucca, actually, and that hole was just Diesel playing around."

"Well, her version was still entertaining, though…"Desmond stood Dolly up and focused on her right ear. "Still, that sounds painful, sure you're okay…?"

"Yeah, I'm good! It's just a flesh wound." Dolly waved with her paw then smirked. "Once they heal, they're gonna be some cool-looking cuts, ya know?"

Dolly turned to Dylan and jabbed him on the side, causing him to gasp a little. "Always ruining my stories, aren't ya, Dylan? I was trying to get Desmond in a good mood with a cool story."

Dylan threw her a glare as he rubbed his side.

"Anyway… C'mon on in, Des!" Dolly turned to Desmond, she extended her paw towards the inside of the house.

Dylan stepped to the side, making way for Desmond.

As he walked passed them, Dolly noticed Desmond's shaky way of walking, which made her cock her head. _Dylan and Da Vinci weren't kidding. He really is shaking like a Chihuahua._

After closing the door, Dylan and Dolly joined Desmond's side.

"Well? Did the sleeping pills help?" Dylan asked.

"Oh yeah, they sure did…" Desmond replied. "After a whole week of sleeplessness, I slept like a puppy last night… For twelve hours…"

"You slept for twelve hours?!" Dylan exclaimed while Dolly whistled in surprise.

"Guess your body had a lot of catching up to do, huh?" Dylan joked.

"Yeah, probably… Remind me to thank Delilah for the pills… Speaking of her, what did she say…?" Desmond asked.

"About you? Well… I told mum what you've been going through and she said that she would have liked to check you up herself and that you should have just come to her." Dylan then entered the living room. Desmond and Dolly followed after him. "I completely agree with her."

"Your mom's a busy dog, Dylan. I didn't want to trouble her…" Desmond justified.

"Go sit, I'll get you some water," Dylan told him.

"I didn't ask for water…" Desmond tilted his head, a bit confused.

"I know, but mum wanted me to let you know that you should stay hydrated. And by the looks of those dry lips, it doesn't seem you've had any water this morning," Dylan said then exited the room.

Desmond brought his paw to his lower lip when he heard Dylan, and as he touched, he felt the little cracks all over it. _When did…?_

Desmond's attention quickly shifted towards Dolly when she prodded him on the back then swung her paw towards the sofa.

They both then jumped on the couch. As he sat, Desmond noticed Dolly standing by his side, smiling with half-closed eyes. Feeling a little abashed, Desmond fixed his eyes on the TV instead of her.

"Ahem!" Dolly cleared her throat, getting Desmond to turn his attention back at her.

"Wh-What…?" Desmond stuttered.

"Why didn't ya tell me?" Dolly grinned.

"Tell you what…?"

"That you lived without a human too?!" Dolly started to wag her tail.

"Oh…! That…" Desmond scratched his paw. "Dylan and Da Vinci told you, I presume…?"

"Ya betcha!" Dolly winked at him. "That's awesome, Des! Ya should've told us earlier, hah hah! It feels so good now that we aren't the only dogs living like this anymore."

"Oh!" Dolly thought of something, then began rubbing her paws together. _I'm so rubbing this in Clarissa's face the next time I see her, hah hah!_

The two dogs' ears perked up when they heard several knocks that came from the living room's entrance. Turning their heads towards the cased opening, they saw Dante sitting, knocking on the wall. He stopped when he saw they noticed him.

 _Dante…_ Desmond thought as he stared at him.

Dante waved with his paw, fixing his eyes onto Desmond. "'Sup, Desmond."

"H-Hey, Dante…" Desmond waved back with his shaking paw.

"Heard what's been going on with you." Dante walked up to the couch. "So you sick or something? You feeling alright?"

"Not sick, just a little stressed…" Desmond told him with a firm tone and turned his head aside.

Dante frowned. _The hell's up with him? Trying to be caring here, you don't have to say it in such a tone, geez!_

"Oh! Umm…" Desmond turned to Dolly. "I need to use the bathroom…"

Desmond quickly jumped off the couch, but faltered as he landed on the floor and fell down.

Dante and Dolly just stood there, gawking at him, baffled.

"What happened, Desmond? Why did you fall like that?" Dante rubbed his head in confusion. "Are you feeling dizzy?"

"Looked like you stepped the wrong way there." Dolly pointed at Desmond's paws.

"Don't worry about me…"Desmond got on his paws immediately. He then shook his left paw a little. _Ahh…! Of course, I had to step the wrong way…!_

As he rushed towards the bathroom, Desmond grabbed and dragged Dante by his collar along with him, making Dante feel anxious.

"Whoa, the hell, Desmond?!" Dante exclaimed, struggling against him.

"Why are ya dragging Dante?" Dolly got taken aback by the scene.

"Well, umm…" Desmond began thinking of an excuse as he yanked Dante out of the room. "I need him to… Help me…"

"Help you…?!" Dolly questioned with a puzzled face. "Wha—? You mean in the bathroom?!"

"Yes…" Desmond replied before he and Dante went out of the living room.

Dolly took some time to think about what Desmond had just said as she looked at the direction the two dogs went. "Helping him… W-What…?!"

* * *

Desmond knocked on the bathroom's door, making sure no one was inside before opening it.

"Desmond what are you doing?!" Dante asked, irritated.

Desmond pushed Dante in and after entering himself, he closed the door and locked it.

"What's this about?!" Dante said with anger as he walked up to Desmond and pushed his paw onto Desmond's chest. "What are you thinking? Dragging me by my collar like that, you trying to chook me or something?! And why did you even bring me here with you?!"

"Calm down, Dante…!" Desmond smacked Dante's paw away. "I needed to talk to you in privet… This is the only place I could think of… Sorry for pulling you like that, but I couldn't tell you in front of Dolly…"

Dante rubbed his neck as he sat down. "Felt like my neck was going to snap… What do you want to talk about?"

Desmond sat in front of him. "… Well… Has something happened to you after we left Downhill street…?"

 _So that's why he wanted a privet conversation with me._ Dante understood. "Umm, like what?"

"Anything…" Desmond said.

"Not really…" Dante pondered. "Only… I couldn't sleep the night after, but that was it."

"I suppose Dylan told you that I've been having a hard time sleeping…?" Desmond asked.

"Yeah, that's what you needed the pills for, right?"

"Right… But…" Desmond was about to say when he suddenly paused as his eyes went blank and he started leaning forward.

"Hey, Desmond!" Dante clapped with his paws, snapping Desmond back.

"Huh…?!" Desmond pulled his head back and shook it.

"What happened?" Dante cocked his head in confusion. "You seemed like you were going to faint there."

"N-Never mind that…"Desmond ignored Dante's words and continued. "As I was saying… "

 _What do you mean, 'never mind'?_ Dante thought. _Just now, you were about to fall like a tree._

"… How to put it…" Desmond started scratching the tiles on the floor with his claw. "I think those hallucinations back in the house took a toll on me… I mean, umm—"

"Wait!" Dante stopped him. "Are you sure? Portia said that the effects of that plant are temporary; she told me they fade away within a couple of hours."

"Listen…!" Desmond exclaimed as he started to sweat a little.

Dante went silent and rose his ears.

"I didn't mention this to Dylan or Da Vinci, obviously because they'd know where we've been…" Desmond dropped his ears. "I suppose you're aware of my condition… Even though I told them this whole thing started a week ago, what I left out was that it was probably due to what happened in that house on Downhill street…"

"That so…?" Dante pondered as he looked at the tiles. _Was it… What he hallucinated back then? Could he have experienced something so terrifying that it traumatized him…? Was it that serious? I had to consult Deepak after that night myself, but Desmond…_

Dante glanced at Desmond for a second before looking back at the tiles again. _I never experienced symptoms such as Desmond's… I get the lack of sleep, but stress, lack of motivation, trembling, this weird way of talking... Good dog, you're such a mess Desmond._

"You sure it's because of that and not because you're sick of something?" Dante rose his head.

"Yes, I'm sure…!" Desmond exclaimed, agitated. "The problem is, you see, I don't know why I'm so stressed out over this…"

Desmond's whole body began to shake. "I thought that it was due to me not being able to sleep, but no…! I slept plenty last night and I'm still like…"

He showed his trembling paws to Dante. "Like this…!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Calm down." Dante put Desmond's paws back down. "Look, I've been a little stressed out myself after that thrill we had in the house, so, as Dylan told you, you should just relax and let Deepak help."

"Deepak…? Hah hah… Excuse me, Dante, but I still don't think that a small pup can help me with this…!" Desmond argued, huffing with anger to the side.

"Hey! That's my little brother you're talking about!" Dante frowned at him. "Watch your tone!"

Desmond glared at Dante. "You think he can help? With what…?! I'd much rather have Delilah examine me instead…"

"Oh?! Than why didn't you come to see her this past week, huh?!" Dante started getting angry with Desmond. "I don't know exactly what you've been going through, but if you were in such a bad condition for a whole freaking week, why didn't you simply seek our mom for help?! We live on the same street, did you forget?! And now that we are offering to help you, you have the nerve to complain?!"

"Wrong…! Nobody forced you to help me…!" Desmond broke into a sweat. "I was always able to take care of myself… I would have… I would have just…"

"Would have what?! Gotten worse?! Stayed locked inside your house until you crumbled down?!" Dante asked as he began snarling. "Why didn't you seek help anyway?! I'm telling you, give Deepak a chance!"

"I refuse to…!" Desmond fumed. "I refuse to let a brat do—"

An abrupt slap from Dante's paw cut Desmond off, making him stumble back, leaving him stunned.

"… Call my little brother a brat one more time…" Dante said nonchalantly, but with a furious look in his eyes.

Holding his cheek, Desmond laid bewildered by what just happened. Realizing that he was acting on impulse again, Desmond stood up and faced Dante. "S-Sorry, Sorry… I didn't mean to insult him…"

Dante took his time to gain his composure back.

Desmond held his head as he felt a sharp pain struck him. "I just… Lost my temper… This really hasn't been my best week, has it…?"

"… You sure know how to piss me off, don't you?" Dante fixed his eyes towards the wall, away from Desmond.

Desmond looked away as well, as both dogs didn't know what to say to each other.

They then rose their ears when they heard a rapid knock from the other side of the door.

"What's going on in there?" Dylan asked with a worried tone. "Why are you both shouting?"

"Ya good in there?" Dolly asked as well.

"Why are you even in there together?" Dylan wondered. "And why is the door locked?"

"Get lost, it's none of your business!" Dante told his brother.

"Hey now! Where did that come from?!" Dolly got surprised by Dante's angry tone. "What's gotten into ya?"

"Desmond, Dawkins wants to have a look at you," Dylan said, "If you're fine with it, just come ou—"

"I'm fine, Dylan… Don't bother…" Desmond answered back as he started breathing heavily.

Dante noticed this and got a bit anxious. "What's the matter with you?"

"N-Nothing…" Desmond replied. "Just a little… S-Short of breath…"

"Are you hearing yourself?!" Dante got baffled. "That's not normal!"

"What's not normal? What's happening in there?" Dylan asked, alarmed. "Is something going on with Desmond?"

"Every… Everything's fine, Dylan… Leave… Leave us…!" Desmond exclaimed as he put his paw onto his chest, feeling a bit of pain.

"He's having trouble breathing, Dylan," Dante told him.

"What?!" Dylan exclaimed, shocked.

"Unlock the door, Dante, let us in!" Dolly slammed her paws on the door.

"I said leave—" Desmond paused when he felt his abdominal muscles contracting. He slammed his paw onto his mouth and made a quick sprint to the toilet; he held his head over it and began fiercely vomiting.

"Guys! He's throwing up!" Dante rushed to unlock the door.

Opening the door in a burst, Dylan and Dolly rushed in and went over to Desmond.

"Uh, Dolly…!" Dylan turned to her. "Stay here with Desmond, I'll go get the antiemetic!"

Dolly nodded her head.

"Dante, you're telling me everything that happened here," Dylan sternly said, "Now come."

Dante followed after him as he and Dylan ran to their parents' room.

As Desmond continued vomiting, Dolly stayed by his side, rubbing him on the back.

"There, there. Easy now," she said with a soft voice, "It's okay, take it easy."

And after what felt like the most dreadful minute of his life, Desmond finally had nothing more to eject. He stood over the toilet, with sweat dripping down his face, tears flowing out of his eyes, and strong but slow pants coming out of his mouth.

As it seemed to her like it had finally ended, Dolly leaned in. "Des… Are ya done?"

With some struggle, Desmond looked up at her. "… I… Think so…"

"Okay." Dolly gently pulled Desmond away from the toilet then wiped the tears off his face with her paws. "Ya can stand, right?"

"… Y-Yeah… Of course, I can…" Desmond murmured, but as he tried stepping forward he stumbled, luckily, Dolly caught him, stopping his fall.

As she helped him stand, Dolly walked Desmond out of the bathroom and into the hallway, where Dylan, Dante, Dawkins, and Da Vinci waited for them.

The instant Da Vinci made eye contact with Desmond, she sprung to his side.

"Are you okay?! What happened?!" She asked as she stared anxiously at him.

Desmond took a quick look at Da Vinci and then to the floor, ignoring her entirely.

"What's wrong, tell me!" Da Vinci insisted.

"Hold on, sis, let's get him some place to rest first," Dolly told her as she walked Desmond back to the living room.

"Dylan, I'd like to make a full body checkup on Desmond," Dawkins said as he and the rest of the dogs followed after them.

"Now, Dawkins, I know you've been studying for this, but keep in mind—practice is different than theory," Dylan stated.

"I'm aware, Dylan, no need for you to be telling me that," Dawkins replied, "I'll simply examine his physical state."

As they entered the living room, Dylan turned to Dolly. "Get him on the couch."

"Desmond…" Dylan looked at him. "I left you a bowl of water on the table, drink it along with some antiemetic pills that I brought you."

Desmond shook his head side to side as he still eyed the floor and struggled to breathe.

"Huh?" Dylan frowned in disbelieve. "What do you mean by that?"

"See? Just like I told you." Dante sat by Dylan's side. "He doesn't want our help. Thinks he'll be fine on his own."

"Des, I know that that medicine is some yucky stuff, but ya gotta take it," Dolly told him.

"For… Get… it…" Desmond barley gathered straight to speak.

"Desmond, listen to me." Dawkins moved next to him. "Vomiting causes you to lose a lot of water from your body, considering that you're already dehydrated, you must at least drink the water Dylan left you."

"Ah…!" Desmond held his head again as the pain returned. _Why won't they stop yapping for just a moment…?!_

"Please, Desmond. Why are you being so reluctant?" Da Vinci put her paw on his back.

"Stop, all of you…!" Desmond shouted as all of this was getting him overwhelmed. He pushed Da Vinci and Dolly away from him. "Listen! I don't need your…..."

"…..." Desmond's voice froze, all the noise around him began to fade away, his body went limp, and he collapsed on the floor.

All of the dogs' eyes widened in shock, and it took them some time to process what had just happened until everyone snapped back to reality.

Da Vinci held her mouth with her paws as she gasped.

"Des… Desmond!" Dylan exclaimed in panic and fear as he hastily turned Desmond on his back and put his ear onto his chest.

Hearing Desmond's heart beating somewhat relieved Dylan but he felt his own heart rapidly hitting his ribcage from distress.

"His heart's beating, but…!" Dylan turned to the others.

"Get him on the couch, fast!" Dawkins exclaimed, jumping on it.

Dolly and Dylan picked Desmond's body up and laid him on the sofa.

"Get me the tablet, I need mum!" Dawkins ordered Dylan.

"Uh, Right!" Dylan bolted out of the room and headed to Dawkins' room.

Dawkins went on to loosen Desmond's collar, allowing him to breathe more easily.

"Dante, did something happen to Desmond back in the bathroom?" Dawkins asked.

"Well, err… It seemed like he was about to faint when I was talking with him," Dante replied.

"Did Desmond display any odd behaviors?" Dawkins jumped off the couch and walked up to his brother. "Dehydration is obvious to blame for this, but anything else?"

Dante pondered as he tried remembering any unusual things. "Desmond, he… Began having trouble breathing at one point. He also started sweating a lot… And… He held his chest… I can't remember anything else."

Dawkins put his paw on his chin as he began thinking. _Excessive sweating, breathing difficulties, and most likely chest pain… So Desmond had nausea, which explains him vomiting… But those are more serious symptoms of nausea… Anyway, right now, I need to tend to him._

He turned his attention to Da Vinci and saw her quivering as she bit her lip. "Please, don't worry yourself, Da Vinci."

"He should regain consciousness in a couple of minutes." Dawkins tried reassuring her.

"Can we help with something?" Dolly asked.

"As I said, no need to worry." Dawkins shook his paws at her. "It would be better if you leave us alone, in fact. Mum and I will need a quiet environment."

Dolly sighed, she looked at Desmond then back to Dawkins. "Okay, but if something were to—"

"I assure you, Desmond will be fine," Dawkins stated.

"C'mon, Da Vinci." Dolly rubbed her sister on the back.

"But to leave him like this…" Da Vinci trembled as she stared at Desmond's unconscious body. However, she knew it'd be best to leave things to Dawkins and their mother.

Dolly walked her sister out of the living room.

"Dante." Dawkins looked at his brother.

"Yeah, yeah. I was about to leave anyway," Dante said with indifference.

"He got on my nerves enough for today." He stormed out of the room. _It's his own fault._

Dawkins returned his attention back to Desmond and waited for Dylan to arrive with the tablet before starting anything.

* * *

"…... Ugh…... Oh…..." Slowly moving his limbs, Desmond began to wake up. Opening his eyes, the room around him looked blurry at first, he rubbed his eyes then his face. He mumbled some things under his nose as his vision regained its sharpness. Desmond held his head as he tried standing up.

"Don't move!" Ordered Dawkins, which made Desmond pause.

Desmond turned his head to the side to see Dawkins sitting on a chair, looking at his tablet.

"I see you finally came around." Dawkins turned to him. "You started to get us worried."

"Us…? Wha… What do you mean…?" Desmond asked as he laid on the couch. Moving his paws around, he felt something soft covering his body. He realized it was a blanket. He lifted it a little and gazed at it with a bit of confusion.

"Do you like it?" Dawkins asked. "Da Vinci covered you with it while you were unconscious."

"She did…?" Desmond questioned as he gripped the blanket.

"Un… Unconscious…?!" Desmond jerked his head at Dawkins in surprise and shock the moment he heard this.

"Hey! No sudden movements!" Dawkins yelled at him, causing Desmond to freeze in place.

"Let me see him, sweetie." A female voice came out of the tablet.

"Here." Dawkins turned the tablet's screen towards Desmond.

He saw Delilah on the screen, she was laying on the floor in a hospital ward. "How are you feeling, Desmond?"

"Well, I…" Desmond scratched his head. "F-Fine…"

"I heard from Dawkins that you fainted," Delilah said.

"… Did I…?!" Desmond asked with a shaky voice as he looked at both the dogs, worried.

"Yes, you did," Dawkins answered him.

"But you need not worry, Desmond. Normally, you don't remember passing out; most people don't." Delilah reassured him with a calm voice.

"Is that right…?" Desmond laid his head back on the couch.

"Desmond, has this happened before?" Delilah asked.

"No…" He replied.

"Is this your first time fainting?"

"… Yeah… I've never passed out before…" Desmond said as his body started shaking a little.

"If you can, lift your paw up," Delilah told him when she caught a glimpse of him trembling.

Desmond pulled his quivering left front leg out of the blanked and rose it towards the ceiling.

"It's just as you described it, Dawkins." She rubbed her cheek as she watched. "You can put your paw done, Desmond."

"Now I want you to listen to me," Delilah said with a solemn voice, making Desmond pay close attention to her, "I'll examine you when I come back home, so please stay in the house until then."

"But I…! Ah…!" Desmond groaned as he turned his head around, facing the cushions of the sofa.

"Mum, didn't I already examine him?" Dawkins turned the tablet's screen back to him. "What was the point of me doing it if you are just going to do it yourself?"

"I know, sweetie, but what you mostly did was just keeping an eye on his heart rate," Delilah told him, "You did a fantastic job, really; taking care of an unconscious person, but you're still new to this. Let me take care of things, you just let me know if his state worsens. Also, make sure he stays in the house, okay?"

Dawkins pouted then huffed as he rolled his eyes away from the screen. "Fine, mum."

"Thank you, dear. Turn me around again, will you?" she did a spinning motion with her paw.

"Desmond, I'll have to be going now, my break's up. You rest for now and don't exert yourself. I'll see you in a couple of hours." Delilah waved with a paw then ended the video call.

Dawkins left the tablet on the table where there was also a medical book he had left earlier. He was about to reach for it when he noticed Desmond holding his head tightly with a firm grip. "What's the matter? Do you have a headache?"

"It's scary…" Desmond uttered as his back still faced Dawkins. "… I can't remember how it happened…"

"The only thing I can recall is… I don't even know…" Desmond's voice started to tremble as he clenched his teeth.

"Can you remember something, whatever it is?" Dawkins asked.

Desmond paused and tried his hardest to remember. "… No, I told you, I just… Stood beside Dolly and Da Vinci and then… I woke up, laying here…"

Dawkins jumped off the chair and onto the couch, opposite to Desmond.

"You know… I've fainted once, too." Dawkins said as he stared down the floor.

Desmond turned his head to face him.

"Last year, in fact. I was quite freaked out about it, like you." Dawkins sat down.

"From what…?" Desmond rose an eyebrow.

"Stress," Dawkins smirked.

"What stressed you out so much…?"Desmond got curious.

"Had to mend some machines here and there, work on some new gadget, study," Dawkins told him, "Not to mention Dylan and Dolly constantly going 'Fix this, fix that! Dawkins the TV stopped working, Dawkins the water pipe broke go fix that, Dawkins the scanner isn't working properly, also take care of the pups, Dawkins! Chop chop this, chop chop that!'"

Dawkins paused as he felt himself getting frustrated. "Apologies if I seem like I'm throwing a tantrum, but it can be quite aggravating at times."

Desmond just looked at Dawkins, astounded. "You're that skilled…?!"

"Surprised? I'll assume so." Dawkins smiled a little. "Most dogs react like that upon learning this."

Desmond nodded. "I mean… You're so young… "

"I suppose being fourteen and maintaining the functionality of all the household devices can seem outlandish… Though, I never thought that myself," Dawkins replied, "Anyway, allow me to finish my story."

Desmond nodded, letting him continue.

"Let's see… Ah, yes. All of this combined, put so much strain on my mind that my brain just shut my entire body off and I fell flat on my back." Dawkins fell on his back to emphasize. "I didn't remember falling on my back, of course. Dylan told me when I woke up."

"Were you scared afterward…?" Desmond asked.

"… I was." Dawkins nodded as he stood up. "I know this feeling… Waking up with no memory of how you ended up on the ground..."

"It can be a frightening experience indeed, I won't deny that," Dawkins stated, "Mum and Doug had to calm me down for three hours after I regained consciousness… Ever since then, everyone agreed not to put pressure on me with constant work. They try to repair things on their own now. I'll give them a paw here and there if they can't handle the problem, of course."

"But if they were putting that much pressure on you, why not just tell them off…?"

Dawkins exhaled heavily as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, you see… I didn't tell them that they were overworking me… Simply because I… Enjoyed it."

"Huh…?!" Desmond flinched. "You enjoy being overworked…?!"

"Uh! No! What I mean is…" Dawkins' ears jumped up in embarrassment. "Oh kibbles, I didn't phrase that right… What I mean is… Despite all the stress they put me through, seeing how happy my family is when I fix whatever's broken or not working, does bring a smile on my face."

Desmond rubbed his chin as he looked down at the blanket, pondering.

Dawkins noticed Desmond's focused eyes. "Do you want to ask something?"

"About… The things you mention earlier… It's still very impressive that you can do all of that; I know adults who struggle with just fixing a sink…" Desmond answered him.

"I guess I just have a talent for it, you know." Dawkins rubbed his ear.

"Back when I was six, Da Vinci liked chewing on wires, even though mum had scolded her multiple times for doing so. Eventually, she tore a wire connected to a desk lamp, mum had, in two; luckily, she didn't get zapped because the lamp was switched off. Of course, mum got quite mad when she discovered who ruined her lamp." Dawkins lifted his paws and extended one digit finger from each paw. "I walked in while mum was yelling at Da Vinci and noticed that the lamp didn't glow. See, I really liked how it shined, so I completely ignored mum and Da Vinci and just walked passed them, I don't think mum paid me much attention, so I jumped on mum's bed to try and turn the lamp on.

"Heh heh, you have no idea how peeved I was when the lamp didn't turn on, so then… I honestly don't know why but I just jump down, took the two parts of the torn wire, brought them together, and…" Dawkins connected the tips of his digit fingers. "The light bulb lit up."

"You can imagine the look on mum's face. Saying that she was surprised would be an understatement." Dawkins chuckled to himself. "I think that's what sparked the interest in fixing things; getting them to work again. Then, as I grew up, my interest expanded in inventing and building things, not only repairing."

"Aren't you an unusual dog…?" Desmond smiled a little at him.

"Suppose I am, huh?" Dawkins adjusted his collar. "I've liked the idea of becoming the first dog engineer ever since I was eight, you see?"

"But then…" Desmond pointed to the medical book on the table.

"Oh, that." Dawkins looked at the book. "See… For a couple of months now, I've been interested in the field of medicine. I've been thinking that I'd like to be a nurse dog just like mum…"

Dawkins paused for a moment. "… While… Repairing and building pleases me, at the end of the day, I'm just fixing inanimate objects… But healing or curing people; that amazes me and looks so much more admirable to me."

"I understand… So do you plan on becoming an engineer dog as well as a nurse dog then…?" Desmond wondered.

"Absolutely not!" Dawkins scowled. "That'd be too much stress, and I refuse to go through what I did a year ago!"

Both dogs stayed silent for a brief moment.

"… I'm torn between the two…" Dawkins sighed. "I don't what to just abandon my dream of becoming an engineer, but… I really do want to be a nurse dog…"

Desmond looked to the book then back to Dawkins. "… I think that—"

"However!" Dawkins bumped himself twice on the head and with a determined look in his eyes said. "I'm certain I'll sort this out eventually, no matter how long it takes."

Desmond smiled upon hearing him. _I didn't know he can be this expressive…_

"Ah, yes! I almost forgot." Dawkins hopped off the couch and reached for an antiemetic pill as well as the bowl of water. He grabbed Desmond's jaw, opened it, quickly hurled the pill in his mouth, and poured all the water in as well. As Dawkins was doing all of this, Desmond was so bewildered by what was currently happening that he couldn't react in any way.

Dawkins closed Desmond's mouth shut and held it sealed. "Swallow."

Desmond did as told, Dawkins then released his mouth, causing Desmond to cough.

"AGH! GHACK! What—GUHU!" Desmond tried saying trough coughs. "AHGA! W-WHAT THE HELL'S WRONG WITH YOU! AGH!"

After clearing his throat, Desmond glared Dawkins with anger. "I would've taken it if you just told me…! Why did you have to do that…?!"

Dawkins looked at Desmond, surprised. "I apologize. Since you were so reluctant to take them earlier, I thought you'd be now as well."

"AH! Shove them down my throat, why don't you…?!" Desmond rubbed his neck. The moment he did, he realized that his collar was gone. "Wh… Where's my collar…?!"

"Oh, right. I removed it, so you'd have an easier time breathing," Dawkins told him, "Don't worry, your collar's right on the desk behind the couch."

Dawkins walked behind the couch and towards a desk where he had left the collar. He took it and tossed it over the couch; to the other side where Desmond caught it.

"You know, mum and I were discussing that if you didn't wake up in a few more hours, she'd have to admit you to a hospital," Dawkins stated as he walked back to the front.

"Few more…?! How long was I—"

"Two hours," Dawkins replied, "Usually, after blacking out, most people wake up in a couple of minutes, but I'm certain it's different for everyone. I woke up twenty minutes after passing out, for example."

"Guess you and I are special cases, huh?" Dawkins jested.

"Oh, dog… Two hours…" Desmond put a paw on his forehead. "Felt like an instant to me…"

As Desmond was pondering on this, he realized something, it was awfully quiet in the house. He looked outside the living room then tried listening for any sound. "Where's everyone…? I can't hear anything in here… Are we alone…?"

"No, I told them that mum and I don't want to be disturbed, so Dylan and Dolly took the pups to the backyard, Da Vinci's with them… As for Dante, he headed back to his room, though, he was pretty angry; said something about you getting on his nerves."

"D-Did he now…?" Desmond held his cheek where Dante had struck him.

"Indeed. Heh heh, for which you have my praise!" Dawkins smirked. "He can get on your nerves too, honestly."

Desmond tilted his head in a bit of surprise upon hearing this. "… Do you two not like each other…?"

"I wouldn't say that…" Dawkins said with a more stoic tone. "He and I bicker from time to time… But, umm… Well, He can be annoying. One thing that grinds my gears about him is his constant walking around the house at nights, he wakes me up every time, and it just infuriates me."

"But anyhow..." Dawkins jumped on the chair and picked his book up. "I had the great privilege of checking the contents you've ejected from your stomach, and it seems you've at least been eating. As I was doing that, I was thinking, why didn't you seek help if you were in such a bad condition?"

Instead of answering him, Desmond frowned, bit his lip, and turned around, pulling the blanket further over himself.

"… Well, fine. I won't force you to talk if you don't want to." Dawkins turned to his book and began reading it. "I'll tell you this, back then, mum and Doug weren't the only ones who helped me calm down; Deepak played a big role too. While everyone else went back to their rooms after mum and Doug told them they'll take care of things, Deepak was the only one to stay and wait in front of my room until they left and he could speak with me.

"Even if you aren't sick from anything serious, I recommend that you have a session with him. If nothing else, he could at least help you relax until mum comes home."

Dawkins flipped a page from his book, but as he was focused on reading, he didn't notice that Desmond had started to shiver again—a little more fiercely this time.

 _I… I was always able to take care of myself, always…! Ever since I was small…_ Desmond tucked his tail between his legs. _Sure, sometimes my human would help, but I never asked for it…_

 _Why then…?!_ He grabbed his ears and began pulling them out of frustration. _Why do I find myself in this situation then…?! Can I not heal on my own…?!_

 _I didn't ask for their help, damn it…!_ Desmond hit a cushion with his paw and growled as he felt his body getting hot in irritation. Dawkins broke his attention from his book the second he heard him.

"Desmond?" Dawkins asked with concern.

"Nothing…" Desmond replied. "It's nothing, really…"

Dawkins stared at him for a few more seconds before going back to his book.

Desmond buried his face in his paws and started thinking things over. _… Why did I come here then…? Was it because Dylan was expecting me to come, or was it because I was sick of being locked in my house…? Argh, I don't understand myself…!_

For the next hour, Desmond quietly lied on the sofa, wrapped in the blanket, and stared at his collar he held in his paw. After some more time, he turned to look at Dawkins then back to the collar. _… Always on my own, ah…? Maybe if I… Let them… Let them…?! I can't believe I'm even considering this, but…_

"Dawkins…" Desmond said, getting him to halt from flipping a page and making him perk an ear up.

"I'm listening," Dawkins replied.

"Is Deepak in the backyard with the others…?"

"He's meditating in his room," Dawkins told him.

Desmond put his collar around his neck and began standing himself up from the couch.

"Hey, hold on! Don't rush." Dawkins closed the book.

"I think I can move fine now…" Desmond unwrapped himself from the blanket, stretched a little, and then started folding it.

Dawkins hopped off the chair and sat on the floor. Desmond put the blanket on his back. Slowly and carefully he moved off the couch and stepped on the floor where he realized he couldn't balance himself properly.

"Can you help me a little…?" Desmond turned to him.

"Of course." Dawkins stood up and helped walk Desmond out of the living room.

"Sorry if I'm heavy…"

"I'll just ask that you don't lean your entire weight on me," Dawkins replied, "You're twice my size after all."

"Once you climb the stairs, you turn right, and at the very end of the hallway, you'll find Deepak's room," Dawkins said as they both reached the staircase. Dawkins then took a look at the stairs and figured he'd have to help Desmond climb them to the top. "Oh, bother!"


	18. Peace of Mind, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Chapter Cover](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/6a4adea5-ce0f-4750-879c-8c100f181705/ddzfuq5-f3ba738f-3727-402e-b25e-41793effdb25.png/v1/fill/w_1280,h_1811,q_80,strp/peace_of_mind__part_1_by_valo_son_ddzfuq5-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD0xODExIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvNmE0YWRlYTUtY2UwZi00NzUwLTg3OWMtOGMxMDBmMTgxNzA1XC9kZHpmdXE1LWYzYmE3MzhmLTM3MjctNDAyZS1iMjVlLTQxNzkzZWZmZGIyNS5wbmciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.djGM8sJqtRUsaS7SDsUbcR5UM3IERdCLcQhfTH12km0)

As he was balancing on an exercise ball, near a window in his room, Deepak closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. As he kept his eyes closed, Deepak felt something landing on his muzzle, which began to crawl towards the tip of his nose. He opened his eyes to see a small black spider.

"Oh!" Deepak exclaimed, surprised then smiled. "Hello, little buddy. How's your day?"

Looking at it better, Deepak recognized the small arachnid as a _money spider_.

"Ah!" Deepak pleasantly gasped. He carefully rose his paw to his nose, letting the spider crawl onto it. "Lucky me! Heh-heh, thanks for crawling on me, little buddy."

"Hey, hey. What are you doing here, though?" He wondered then put the spider back on his nose. "Your place's outside not in here. I'll find you a nice big shrub, you like those, right? We have a couple in the backyard."

Deepak hopped off the ball and landed on the floor, which made the spider move a bit around his nose—tickling the pup's nose with his legs in the process, making him almost sneeze, but before he could, Deepak quickly pinched his nose, stopping himself.

"Not like that, little buddy." He chuckled at the spider. "I have a sensitive nose, you see; almost blew you off there. You're so small, I can barely see you even when you're right in front of my eyes, and if you fall off, I don't think I'll be able to find you."

Deepak continued towards the door of his room.

* * *

"Come on, a couple more steps." Dawkins encouraged Desmond as they were nearing the top of the staircase.

On every step or two, Desmond had to stop to rest for a short time, as his legs were starting to get sore, and he was starting to feel a lack of energy as well.

"You know…" Desmond turned to Dawkins as he began to walk up the stairs again, "Maybe I should have eaten something before we headed to Deepak…"

"Considering how much you vomited, I'm not surprised," Dawkins said as he helped Desmond up on another step. "Getting something in your stomach would be a good idea before having a session with Deepak."

"Guess you're right…" Desmond agreed.

"After we reach the second floor, I'll go get you something," Dawkins said.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Dawkins and Desmond turned right and made their way to the end of the hallway. When they reached Deepak's room, Dawkins let go of Desmond, allowing him to sit down and rest.

"Just wait here. I'll be right back," Dawkins told him.

As he was about to head back down, Dawkins stopped when he heard the door to his younger brother's room open.

Deepak walked out of the room but didn't notice the two dogs at first, as his attention was directed towards the spider.

"Oh, hey, Deepak," Dawkins said, getting Deepak to turn to him.

"Ah?!" Deepak exclaimed when he noticed his brother.

"Mind if Desmond eats before you two start?" Dawkins asked. "We don't want him passing out again, do we?"

"Where is he?" Deepak wondered.

"Behind you," Dawkins answered him.

Deepak turned his head to see the sickly looking Desmond. He then faced Dawkins again.

"Did he decide to come on his own, or did you force him to?" Deepak questioned Dawkins with a solemn expression.

"Yeah, he chose to come himself," Dawkins replied.

"Good then." Deepak turned around to face Desmond again, he smiled, sat on the floor, brought his paws together and slightly bowed with his head at him. "I'm honored that you decided to seek my help."

"Oh…!" Desmond got surprised. "W-Well, don't mention it…"

"So, umm…" Desmond began approaching Deepak. "How are we going to do th—"

"AH!" Deepak winced, feeling sharp shivers shoot through his body the moment Desmond got near him. He quickly backed away from him and hid behind Dawkins.

"What?! What's the problem?" Dawkins asked his younger brother with concern, while Desmond stood confused by Deepak's reaction.

"S-Sorry." Deepak moved to his brother's side and looked Desmond in the eyes. "Your aura's just so… Repulsive. So much negative energy's oozing out of you that you got me startled."

Deepak shivered a little. "I didn't think you'd be in such a bad state, Desmond."

"Oh, I see…" Desmond hung his head.

"Don't be disheartened, though!" Deepak told him with an encouraging tone. "I'll try my hardest to help you!"

As Deepak said this, Desmond noticed something small move on Deepak's nose, making him stare right at the pup.

"What are you looking at?" Dawkins cooked his head.

"I might be imagining, but I think I saw something move on your nose, Deepak…" Desmond replied.

Dawkins took a look at his brother but didn't see anything. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure… I'm sure I saw something move…" Desmond insisted.

Dawkins grabbed his brother's muzzle and gave it a closer look. He then noticed the small spider as it moved from Deepak's nose to his white fur. "A spider?"

He let go of Deepak. "No wonder it was hard to spot, its black body blends in with your nose perfectly."

"Oh, almost forgot! This little fellow landed on me and I was just heading out to leave him outside," Deepak told him.

"Hey, isn't this a money spider?" Dawkins noted.

Deepak nodded happily.

"Hah! Seems like someone's getting good luck then, huh?" Dawkins patted Deepak on the head.

"Hee-hee, Yeah! Thanked him for crawling on me even." Deepak made a cheerful smile.

"This is perfect, though. Desmond should be done eating by the time you come back." Dawkins stated.

"Say, Desmond, did you know that if a money spider crawls on you, it's considered a good fortune?" Dawkins giggled as he turned to face him, but instead of a surprised look, Dawkins found Desmond digging his claws in the boards of the floor as sweat dripped from his entire body.

Deepak jerked his head at Desmond when he sensed the anxiety that started flowing out from Desmond's aura.

Deepak looked at Dawkins then back to Desmond as he was puzzled by what was going on. "Why did you get so tense all of a sudden, Desmond? What are you so worried about?"

"You said you found that thing in your room…?" Desmond uttered with a shaky voice as he glared the spider.

At once, the two dogs realized what Desmond was so worried about.

"The spider?" Dawkins wondered.

Desmond nodded his head as he recoiled a little.

"Are you afraid of spiders?" Dawkins asked.

"How do you think…?" Desmond replied as his body shivered when he saw the spider move around Deepak's nose. "I-It won't jump at me, will it…?!"

"Well, it's not a jumping spider, so no, it won't," Dawkins answered him as he let out a small chuckle.

"You think it's funny…?!" Desmond said, irritated.

"A little," Dawkins replied as he put his paw on his mouth, hiding a smile. "Honestly, I never imagined you'd have arachnophobia."

"Tsk…!" Desmond huffed out in anger.

Deepak glowered at Dawkins then jabbed him on the side. "Can't you see you're upsetting him?!"

"Apologies, apologies," Dawkins said, he then headed for the stairs. "Anyway, you wait here, Desmond. I'll go get you something to eat."

Deepak turned to Desmond and gave him a friendly smile. "There really isn't anything to be scared of; spiders aren't aggressive, they won't attack if—"

"Yeah, yeah…! Just hurry and get it out of here…!" Desmond urged.

Deepak exhaled then followed after Dawkins.

"Hey, Desmond!" Dawkins yelled to him as he and Deepak walked through the hallway.

Desmond perked his ears. "Yeah…?"

"Will it make you feel better to know that Dimitri 2 has hematophobia?" Dawkins asked as he and Deepak started walking down the staircase.

"A what phobia…?!" Desmond yelled as he leaned his head forward. "Can you repeat…?!"

"It means fear of blood!" Dawkins yelled back from the staircase.

Desmond began tapping on the floor as he pondered. "So that's why he was freaking out so much when Bernard bit him…"

* * *

As they walked side by side, Deepak felt Dawkins' aura tense up.

"What's bothering you?" Deepak asked.

"Huh?! How did—" Dawkins turned his head at him with a jolt, surprised. But then slammed himself on the head when he remembered how. "Oh, right. Forget that I even asked."

Deepak giggled. "Your aura told me."

"Yeah, I figured." Dawkins scratched his ear. "Hmm, well, I'll ask you this, which one of these two is more beneficial to society, in your opinion, a doctor or an engineer?"

Deepak gave it a little thought before answering. "Does it matter? Both do good deeds and help people. Both are important for our world."

Dawkins sighed as he looked at the bottom of the stairs for a moment. "Obviously, but I was expecting a more straightforward answer from you."

Deepak sighed. "I thought you would've made up your mind by now."

Dawkins snorted out as they both reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Dawkins," Deepak turned to him. "You and I are kindred spirits. I know that, like me, you want to help others; it's something I really like about you. It's not my place, however, to tell you what you should become. This is something you must figure out for yourself."

"Tsk!" Dawkins exclaimed in vexation and frowned as they continued through the hallway. _And here I thought asking him might help._

Deepak felt Dawkins' aura go slightly gloomy as they passed the living room. Dawkins halted his walking suddenly when Deepak clung to him in a gentle hug.

"Choose what makes you happy the most," Deepak told him, "No matter what it is that you choose, you'll be the best at it!"

Dawkins couldn't help but grow a smile. "Okay, okay."

He patted Deepak on the head. "You can let go of me now."

Deepak pulled away from him as they continued walking.

Deepak rubbed his head as he pondered. "By the way, I noticed something strange when I felt Desmond's aura."

Dawkins rose his ears in curiosity.

"Though Desmond's was worse, his aura was very similar to that of Dante when he came to me last week," Deepak said.

Dawkins looked at him, a little surprised. "Similar?"

Deepak nodded, then frowned a bit. "And it's not like their auras were slightly similar; Desmond had the same feeling of distress in him as Dante did. It's like they've both been through the same awful experience."

Dawkins pondered on this. "You said Dante came to you a week ago?"

"That's right," Deepak confirmed.

"Huh! Dylan told me that Desmond's condition began around a week ago, as well." Dawkins sat down. "Think there could be a connection?"

Deepak shook his head. "No idea."

"I asked him earlier if he noticed Desmond displaying odd behaviors, but I wonder now if Dante knows something more about this." Dawkins rubbed his nose. "At least he might be able to give me an idea of what's wrong with Desmond."

"After I bring Desmond some food, I'll go ask Dante." Dawkins stood up. "You still give it a shot, though."

"Of course. I won't reject a person in need," Deepak said, he then felt the spider crawling around his muzzle. "Hee-hee, getting impatient are we?"

"Go leave it then," Dawkins told him, "Surely, mister eight-legs here is dying to spin a web in the backyard."

"I bet he is, aren't you?" Deepak looked at the spider.

 _Now, what should I give him?_ Dawkins wondered. "Perhaps a fruit? A banana should do. Ah! But it's such a pain in the arse to peel."

"Dawkins!" Deepak gasped when he heard him.

"Huh?"

"I can't believe you just said that!" Deepak scowled at him.

"So what?" Dawkins replied nonchalantly.

"It's not like you to!" Deepak exclaimed. He then huffed and headed for the backyard. "I expect better from you, you know!"

Dawkins gave out a low moan as he proceeded towards the kitchen. "Doesn't everyone?"

* * *

Deepak braced himself as he entered the backyard. As usual, his siblings were all running around and playing games. Some of the pups used the garden hose to splash each other with cold water. Deepak began to feel slight unease as he looked at all of this.

Upon stepping on the grass, Deepak immediately had to dodge a frisbee; he ducked down as it flew over his head. Continuing forward, Deepak constantly avoided obstacles along his path. He was somewhat used to all of this, but no matter how used he thought he'd get, all this chaos, and constant shouting from the pups, did irritate him a lot.

Deepak decided to step up his pace and get this done as quickly as possible, all the while, he tried keeping an eye on the small spider. "Don't worry, little buddy, I won't let you get hurt."

Deepak made an abrupt stop when some of his brothers and sisters dashed right in front of him, almost running him over. He proceeded on, but as he was focused on the spider, Deepak failed to notice a puddle in his way and stepped right in it; flinching as he felt the coldness of the water and quickly pulled his paw back just to see the sticky mud that now covered it, making him frown in disgust.

"Ohhh!" He moaned as he got flustered. "This is so stressful!"

"Well, almost there, buddy." Deepak looked back at the spider. "You know, I'm wondering, why can't they be like you, huh? You patiently stay on my nose and you aren't loud. Heh-heh, though, you're a spider, so you won't be making much noise."

"Hmm… I was told that spiders can lay hundreds of eggs at once. Did you had to deal with dozens of brothers and sisters, too, buddy?" He asked the spider, then chuckled a bit to himself. As he finally reached the other end of the backyard, Deepak had no trouble finding a big, green shrub. He put his paw onto his nose, allowing the spider to climb on it. "You probably had to, ah?"

Deepak brought his paw near the shrub, letting the spider get on it.

"I'll advise you not to enter our home again. As you can see, my siblings are pretty… Let's say lively, and they can—" Deepak got cut off when a rubber ball hit the back of his head, causing him to almost fall on the ground.

"Sorry, Deepak!" Some of the pups yelled out to him. "Can we get our ball back?!"

Deepak began breathing at a rapid pace as anger started taking hold of him. He quickly slowed down his breathing and dismissed the negative emotion—composing himself. Deepak then turned towards the ball and tossed it to his siblings.

"Thanks!" They yelled to him then returned playing with the ball.

Deepak turned to the spider. "See? That could happen. If that was you, you would've been—"

Deepak stopped himself as he felt sick just from the mere thought of the spider getting squashed by the ball.

"Well, let's not think about it." He smiled at the spider. He turned around and headed back to the house. "Bye, little buddy! Don't get yourself in trouble now!"

* * *

As she was dipping her paws into her buckets of paint, getting ready to draw on the brick wall, Da Vinci noticed Deepak going back to the house. She followed him with her eyes as he entered in. _Deepak? Ah! Did he see Desmond?! Has he woken up?_

Da Vinci looked around for her towel and saw one of the pups playing with it.

"Dupont! Dupont!" Da Vinci called out to him. "Bring me my towel, please!"

"Huh?!" Dupont perked his ears when he heard her. He ran to Da Vinci and gave her the towel. "Here you go, big sis!"

"Thank you." Da Vinci paused upon noticing the small holes on her towel, made by the pup's fangs. "Eh?! Dupont, how could…! I told you, you can play with it, but not ruin it!"

"Sorry, hee-hee," Dupont said with a sheepish smile as he rubbed his paw.

"Oh, never mind." Da Vinci hastily wiped the paint off of her paws and left the towel on the plastic table.

She then headed towards Dylan and Dolly who sat side by side and monitored the pups, making sure no accidents occurred.

"Geez!" Dolly moaned as she fiercely tapped on the grass with her paw then turned to Dylan. "Instead of joining the fun, I gotta stay here with ya and watch 'em like some sort of a lifeguard."

"If you want your cuts to get worse, go right ahead," Dylan replied.

Dolly exhaled heavily and looked at her injured ear. She grabbed it and moved it a little to see if it still hurt. She got her answer when she got hit by a sharp pain that made her yelp. "Ouch, ouch, ouch!"

"Dolly, stop." Dylan grabbed her paw and put it down. "You checked five minutes ago; you know your ear won't heal for a day, right?"

"I don't wanna hear that from ya!" Dolly poked him on the cheek. "Remember that one time when ya got a cut on your leg and ya kept unwrapping and wrapping the bandage mom put on ya to check if it was healing or not; even though she told ya not to do it 'cause your leg won't be able to heal properly?"

Dylan blushed in embarrassment and looked away from her.

"Ah?! Ah?! Ah?! Ah?!" Dolly began repeating as she grabbed her brother's ears and started playing with them.

"Argh! Knock it off, Dolly!" Dylan barked, annoyed.

"Not a chance!" She pushed him on the ground and got on top of him. "If I can't play with the pups, then you'll be my victim for today, mister strict pants!"

Dolly started tickling Dylan viciously, making him squeal as he let out loud giggles and loughs.

"AHAHA! OH, NO, NO, NO! HAHA, DOLLY, DOLLY!" Dylan desperately tried getting Dolly off but to no avail, as his whole body was quivering from the itchy sensation. "DO—HAHA! DOLLY! I—AHAHA! GOT TO WATCH OVER THE PUPS—HAHA!"

"Hey, Dylan, Dolly!" Da Vinci reached them. "I just saw—"

Da Vinci slowed down as she approached her older brother and sister when she saw what was happening.

"What are you doing?" Da Vinci tilted her head and made a smile of amusement. "Shouldn't you be looking out for the pups?"

Dolly stop her tickling and rose her head at Da Vinci. "This is way better than that, sis."

Dolly got off of Dylan, grabbed his paw, and stood him up.

Dylan shoved his face in Dolly's as he gave her an angry stare. "Don't you dare do that ever again, Dolly. You hear?!"

Dolly pushed him away as she smirked. "We'll see."

"Hello?! You two!" Da Vinci clapped with her paws. "Give me some attention here."

Dylan and Dolly both turned to her when they heard her clap. "Yeah?"

"I just saw Deepak walk in the house," Da Vinci told them.

"Huh?! In the house, you say?" Dylan questioned. "So he was out?"

Da Vinci nodded. "I think so; didn't see him enter the backyard though."

"How did we not see him?" Dolly asked.

"He probably got obscured by all the other pups." Dylan guessed. "But now that you mention Deepak, that got me wondering if Desmond has come around; it's been some time now."

"That's what I was thinking." Da Vinci replied. "I thought I'd let you know before I went to check."

"Wanna go check on him?" Dolly turned to her brother.

"Well, someone has to stay to monitor the pups," Dylan replied, "You two go, I'll stay; tell me if Desmond has regained consciousness or not, okay?"

"Sure thing," Dolly replied. She then turned to Da Vinci. "C'mon!"

* * *

Desmond stood in front of Da Vinci's room with the blanket in his mouth. _It's so soft and warm… Thank you, Da Vinci… Wish I could keep it…_

Desmond placed the blanket in front of the door then walked back to the end of the hallway.

A few seconds later, Dawkins returned, carrying two bowls; one in his paw that was filled with water; the other in his mouth, which was filled with slices of banana.

"Hope you like fruits, Desmond," Dawkins said as he approached him.

"I sure do…" Desmond replied.

"Good!" Dawkins put the bowls in front of Desmond and sat down. "Not sure if you like them or not, but since they're rich in potassium, I thought that a banana would be ideal."

"Oh, I absolutely like them…!" Desmond stated. "Bananas are my favorite type of fruit…!"

"Hey, nice! Bananas are my favorite, too!" Dawkins smiled. He then pushed the bowl of water towards Desmond. "Before you eat, drink first; you're still dehydrated, so your main priority should be to get as much water as you can in your body."

"Uh, yeah…" Desmond stopped himself as he was about to go for the banana slices and switched to the other bowl. "Guess you're right…"

Desmond noticed Dawkins' name written on the side of the bowl, which made him reluctant to drink from it.

"You're giving me your bowl…?" Desmond rose his head. "I don't know if it's right to—"

"Both bowls are mine, actually," Dawkins clarified, "Don't worry about it. Go ahead. Do keep in mind, however, you're washing them after your session with Deepak."

Desmond made a small smile at Dawkins, appreciating this gesture of his, then started gulping down the water.

"Don't rush; drink slowly!" Dawkins exclaimed.

* * *

Deepak was washing the mud off of his paw in the bathroom; he dried it and headed for the stairs. While walking, Deepak decided to slow down, as he wanted to give Desmond time to eat his food.

After reaching the stairs, Deepak slowly climbed them and walked to the two dogs.

"Are you done?" Deepak asked Desmond as he approached him and Dawkins.

With his mouth full and still chewing, Desmond only nodded his head as he swallowed the banana slices.

"He's good to go." Dawkins picked the bowls up and turned to his brother. "It's your turn now."

Dawkins gestured with his paw for Desmond to enter his room, as he made sure to keep a little distance from him.

Desmond halted before entering and turned to Deepak. "There aren't any other spiders in your room, are there…?"

"No, there aren't." Deepak shook his head. "I assure you!"

Desmond looked around for any cobwebs in the room before stepping into it.

Before he entered after Desmond, Deepak got tapped on the back by Dawkins. "I'll leave my door open, so if Desmond starts having trouble breathing, begins feeling chest pain, or anything like that, call me, alright?"

"Alright," Deepak replied.

"Give it your best." Dawkins smiled at him.

"Sure will!" Deepak assured him. He then walked into the room and closing the door.

* * *

"Now, Desmond, you look tense." Deepak walked passed him, while he kept his distance, to his exercise ball. "Let's fix that."

Desmond began walking towards the small pup when Deepak rose his paw at him and took a step back. "Umm, Desmond, I'd like there to be at least a meter of distance between us, if that's okay with you?"

Desmond halted and stared Deepak with a confused look. "Why…?! What's wrong…?"

"You're aura," Deepak answered him and sat down. "It's seriously bothering me and I can't focus if I have to constantly feel it."

"Well, can't you just…" Desmond looked to the side as he wondered. "Switch your ability off…?"

Deepak grabbed his ears and rose them up. "Can you turn your hearing off?"

"Ah…!" Desmond realized what the question meant. "Is that how it is…? So it constantly stays on, huh, this 'aura sensing' of yours…?"

Deepak nodded and let go of his ears. "I'm sure you know of the five senses everyone has, right?"

"Sure…"

"Then there's the sixth one," Deepak said, "I guess you could say that my ability is that."

"Oh…!" Desmond exclaimed as he got intrigued but then gave it a quick thought. "Though, it's just a hypothesized sense…"

"Well, the point is that just like the other five, you can't stop it from working," Deepak stated.

"And while it's useful," Deepak sighed. "It can trouble me."

Desmond rose his eyebrows, puzzled.

"Since it stays on all the time," Deepak put a paw on the ball and began rolling it. "I can't ignore people's negative emotions when I come across them; it can be very overwhelming at times, you know?"

"I don't want to see others like that, so I try to help if I can," Deepak stated.

Desmond looked outside the window, towards the clouds, as he pondered. _A kind soul, aren't you…?_

Desmond made a step back. "One…"

"Huh?!" Deepak looked at him, a little confused.

"Two…" Desmond made another step back. He then looked at where he was standing, then looked back to Deepak. "This seems like a meter to me..."

Deepak giggle and smiled at Desmond. "Thanks."

With a quick leap, Deepak landed on the ball and balanced himself on it. "Now, let's begin!"

"Wow…!" Desmond exclaimed, astounded when he saw Deepak. "Impressive…!"

"You think so?" Deepak let out a chuckle.

"Do I have to balance on a ball, too, for this…?" Desmond asked, a little worried, as he started looking around the room for other exercise balls.

"Oh, no, no," Deepak told him, "Just take a position that is most comfortable to you; I just prefer the ball."

Desmond laid on the flower and looked up at Deepak. "Now…?"

"We'll meditate," Deepak told him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Character Chart](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/6a4adea5-ce0f-4750-879c-8c100f181705/deeoiiw-e8bf9371-c23b-4a7a-968f-54df7c1eaf95.png/v1/fill/w_1010,h_791,q_70,strp/deepak__size_chart_by_valo_son_deeoiiw-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD0xMDAyIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvNmE0YWRlYTUtY2UwZi00NzUwLTg3OWMtOGMxMDBmMTgxNzA1XC9kZWVvaWl3LWU4YmY5MzcxLWMyM2ItNGE3YS05NjhmLTU0ZGY3YzFlYWY5NS5wbmciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.zBFqQ00d3KoXbmd3gSaoWtXjIfyb-mKBcGn27N4h6VI)  
> Note: Since Dalmatians are medium-sized dogs, and Dylan is around the average height of a Dalmatian, he will act not only as a point of reference when portraying other family member’s sizes, but other breeds’ sizes, as well.


	19. Peace of Mind, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Chapter Cover](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/6a4adea5-ce0f-4750-879c-8c100f181705/de0xlvx-4a8b9dea-27e7-4fad-9362-eaaca0da89bf.png/v1/fill/w_1280,h_1811,q_80,strp/peace_of_mind__part_2_by_valo_son_de0xlvx-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD0xODExIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvNmE0YWRlYTUtY2UwZi00NzUwLTg3OWMtOGMxMDBmMTgxNzA1XC9kZTB4bHZ4LTRhOGI5ZGVhLTI3ZTctNGZhZC05MzYyLWVhYWNhMGRhODliZi5wbmciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.RxtJlBLMIrH0MyRsCk-rwsmiXhKApilyJA8kuElnxpQ)

"Meditation, you say…?" Desmond cocked his head to the side.

"Have you done it before?" Deepak asked.

"Once, I think…" Desmond replied. "Well, umm, how long are we going to be doing this…?"

"We'll do five minutes of meditation," Deepak said.

Desmond frowned and averted his eyes from Deepak. "And if it doesn't work…?"

"Don't worry about that. Some of the pups that come to me needed more than five minutes to relax fully. If it doesn't work, we'll increase the time to ten minutes, if that doesn't do it, we'll increase it to 15," Deepak reassured him. "Dante, for example, needed 15 minutes to relax."

Desmond jerked his head back at Deepak when he heard him say Dante's name. "Dante had to come to you…?!"

"Yes, he and I have meditated several times, actually. But last week, when he came to me, Dante was very distressed about something; he didn't tell what it was, though," Deepak said as he rubbed his ear.

"Aha, I see…" Desmond said. He then scratched his cheek as he got bothered by something. "Hey, umm, I know this might be a silly thing to ask, but how are you going to keep track of the time…?" He tilted his head to the side. "You said you'll be meditating with me, so surely, you won't be counting the seconds yourself, right…? Won't that get in your way…?" Desmond stretched his neck to look behind Deepak then turned around to look behind himself. "And I don't see an alarm clock here…"

Deepak pointed towards his door. "Look over there."

Desmond turned his head to see a clock, with an image of a sitting blue cat inside of it, hung over the door.

"I guess you didn't see it, but I do have a clock." Deepak giggled. "Though, it's not like I need a clock. I've been meditating for so long that on its own, my body knows when time's up; call it my natural alarm clock, if that makes sense, hee-hee!" He then closed his eyes. "Now, if you have no more questions, relax your body, clear your mind, and let us begin!"

Desmond did as instructed, and both he and Deepak began meditating. After a minute, Deepak perked his ears up as he couldn't hear Desmond breathing. He opened one eye to take a look and saw that Desmond had closed his mouth shut and barely took in breaths from his nostrils as his entire body shook.

"Desmond!" Deepak shouted, making Desmond jerk his head at him.

"Yeah…?" Desmond asked as he started panting.

"Why are you breathing like that?" Deepak asked, puzzled.

"Huh…?! Like how…?" Desmond wondered.

"Only from your nose, you weren't even doing it right," Deepak told him, "Listen, meditation shouldn't be putting a strain on your body. Breathing in such a way does exactly that; just do it normally."

Desmond started fondling with his paws as he gave it a thought. "Err, I might've been too focused on my thoughts to realize I wasn't breathing from my mouth…" Desmond said. "So there isn't a specific way to do this then…?"

Deepak put his paw on his forehead as he let out a sigh and hopped off the ball. "You said you've done this before, didn't you?"

"Well, I did, but it's not as if I took it seriously, and it was years ago, too…" Desmond said.

"Okay." Deepak sat down. "When meditating, silence is essential." He pointed to the window behind him. "That's why my window and door are closed right now; any external noises are only distractions. That is also why I don't use an alarm clock."

"Aha…" Desmond understood. "Well, I did it while my TV was on, hee, silly me…"

"Another thing is stillness," Deepak added, "Your whole body was shaking just now."

Desmond looked at his paws. "It's involuntary… It just happens randomly; I have no control over it…"

"I know, I don't blame you for it," Deepak said, "But, just now, you were shaking because you weren't breathing properly."

Desmond looked at the floor. "If you say so…"

"Let's give it another try," Deepak said with a gentle voice, "Relax your muscles from the paws up, stretch your neck if you have to. It's fine if you even leave your jaw hanging."

Desmond began to loosen up his muscles. It took him some time, but he finally managed to get his body to relax, at least as much as he could.

As it also seemed like that to him, Deepak continued. "Now, close your eyes and for a minute, stay like this without doing anything. It's fine if you fall asleep during this time. I've had this happen to some of my brothers and sisters. We'll just continue after you wake up."

Desmond let out a low giggle and proceeded to shut his eyes.

"You told me you were focusing on your thoughts, but I want you to focus on a single thought, and only on that one thought," Deepak told him, "That will be your _mantra_."

"Mantra…?" Desmond mumbled.

"Your mantra can be a word, sound, or a phrase," Deepak told him. He then jumped back on the ball. "As you lay, doing nothing, you'll notice how thoughts come and go without any effort. After that minute, start thinking your mantra as effortlessly as other thoughts come.

"For the next five minutes, repeat your mantra. As you do, thoughts will appear, and when they do, gently return to thinking your mantra again."

Deepak closed his eyes and began meditating along with Desmond. "And finally, do not try to put any effort into meditation; that will reduce any benefits, and will only put pressure on you."

After Desmond slowly nodded, both he and Deepak began to focus as they stood still in the silence of the room.

* * *

Dolly and Da Vinci were making their way to the living room. As they did, Dolly took notice of her sister's focused eyes and worried look. _Sheesh! Why so tense, sis?_

"Up or not? Up or not?" Dolly began repeating, trying to grab her sister's attention. "Which one? Which one? Whatcha think, sis?"

Da Vinci turned to her, as she got a little confused by what Dolly was saying. "About what?" She asked.

"Is Des up or not; off the couch or still laying on it?" Dolly replied.

"Don't know." Da Vinci answered as she pondered on the question. "I hope it's the former."

"You wanna have a bet on it?" Dolly made a small grin.

Da Vinci frowned at her sister. "Bet on it?! How can you bet on something like this, Dolly, when Desmond might still be unconscious?!"

" _Might_ is the keyword here, Des _might_ still be unconscious," Dolly told her, "I'm just trying to lighten up the mood with a little bet, Da Vinci. Why are you so tense, anyway? Ya know Des is in good paws with Dawkins and mom, so don't worry about it." A thought then crossed her mind. "Tee-hee-hee! Him being on your mind so much; someone might think he's your boyfriend or something!" She giggled and slapped Da Vinci on the back. "You're so cute!"

"H-Hey! As his teacher, I'm just worried about his health; it's what good teachers do, Dolly! Don't be ridicules now." Da Vinci said as she stomped on the floor hard. "Besides, it's not like you have luck with guys to be joking like that."

"Ahem!" Dolly coughed out then glared Da Vinci down. "Ya wanna repeat that, missy?!"

"You heard me." Da Vinci made a small smile and sped up her pace, moving in front of her sister.

Dolly grinned a bit to herself. _Got ya to smile at least._

"Ya still sure ya don't wanna bet on this?" Dolly caught up to her. "I'll throw in ten pounds if you play~"

"Argh!" Da Vinci groaned then let out a low sigh. "Fine. I bet that he's gotten up."

"Then I bet that he's still laying on the couch," Dolly said.

The two of them reached the living room after a couple more steps. They both took a look and saw that there wasn't anyone in the room.

Da Vinci was relieved to see that Desmond wasn't laying on the couch anymore.

"Cool, Des came around then!" Dolly turned around and looked to the second floor. "They're probably up there."

Dolly tapped her sister on the back, getting her to turn to her, and gestured towards the staircase. The two climbed up to the second floor and headed for Deepak's room. Upon reaching the room, Dolly and Da Vinci refrained from knocking on the door, as they didn't want to disturb Deepak and Desmond if the two were in the middle of a session.

Dolly looked to the other side of the hallway and saw that Dawkins' room was opened. "Dawkins can get us up to speed."

"Right." Da Vinci agreed as they headed for their brother's room.

As they were nearing Dawkins' room, Da Vinci saw her blanket laying in front of her room.

 _My blanket?_ Da Vinci thought as she went for it. She picked it up and stared at it. "He even folded it for me." She grew a smile as she patted the blanket. Though, a moment later, she realizing where the blanket had been left. _Oh, Desmond! Why did you have to leave it on the dirty floor?! Could have just left it on the couch, you know?_

Taking a look in, Dolly spotted Dawkins laying on his bed, reading a book.

 _As if he'd be doing something else._ Dolly thought then snickered. "Hello there! Bookworm!" She knocked on the opened door with a paw.

Dawkins pulled away from the book and turned his attention to her. "Oh, hey. What's the matter?"

"Da Vinci and I were just wondering what's going on with Des." Dolly walked into the room.

"Ah, yes! Well, Desmond woke up about forty minutes ago. He's with Deepak right now," Dawkins told her.

"Hear that, Da Vinci?!" Dolly spun her head and looked out of the room to her sister. "Your student's with Deepak."

"Yeah, yeah, I heard." Da Vinci walked into the room as well. "But, uh, is Desmond feeling any better?"

"I'm still not entirely sure," Dawkins said, "He's yet to show any symptoms like the ones that occurred three hours ago, but since the possibility is high, I left the door open, so Deepak can call me if those symptoms come back."

"Aha." Dolly turned to Da Vinci. "Guess ya win, then."

Dawkins rose his ear. "Win? What's this about?"

"Oh! Da Vinci and I were just having a bet on whether Des was still unconscious or not." Dolly replied.

Da Vinci sat down. "I'm just glad that Desmond decided to get some help."

"I was about to go ask Dante if he knows something more about this." Dawkins turned to his book again. "Right after finishing this book, of course."

"Know something? Dante?" Dolly scratched her chin. "What do ya mean by that?"

"You two remember Dante going to Deepak last week, right?" Dawkins asked, eyes still on the book.

"What about it?" Da Vinci said.

"Deepak told me that while meditating with Dante," Dawkins closed his book and looked at them. "He felt an odd, anxious sensation in his aura; the same sensation that he felt coming from Desmond's aura not thirty minutes ago, but with Desmond, it was worse." He jumped off the bed. "Since Desmond started feeling ill a week ago, the same time that Dante needed consolation from Deepak, I began thinking that both of them may have done something to result in this."

Dolly thought about it. "Dante did seem anxious, more than usual. I just thought that he got in a bad mood 'cause I made a party for his birthday."

Da Vinci nodded. "I know Dante doesn't like celebrating his birthdays but getting this stressed out over a party, quite weird."

"Right?" Dolly turned to her. "Thinking about it now, it did seem weird, very weird indeed."

"I'm going now," Dawkins told his sisters as he headed for the hallway. "Care to join?"

"Yeah, we'll come," Dolly said as she and Da Vinci joined Dawkins' side.

"Umm, the book?" Da Vinci asked.

"Finished it," Dawkins replied.

"Eh! Fast, ain'tcha?" Dolly glanced back at Dawkins' room.

"Was already at the end, Dolly." Dawkins looked to the side as the three of them reached Dante's room. Dawkins knocked twice on the door and waited for a reply.

"Come in!" Dante said from inside his room.

Dawkins opened the door and entered along with his sisters. As soon as they stepped in, the three dogs got struck by thick, hot air and quickly found it hard to breathe. Searching around the room with their eyes, they found Dante laid on his bed as he was gazing at the ceiling.

"How do you breathe in here?!" Dawkins quickly went to open a window, letting some fresh air in the room.

"What do you want?" Dante muttered as he shifted his attention to Dawkins.

Dawkins walked to the side of Dante's bed. "I'd like to ask you a question, and I'd appreciate it if you're honest; it has to do with Desmond's state." He sat on the floor. "Did you and Desmond do something a week ago?"

 _The hell?!_ Dante instantly jolted his body up when he heard his brother say this specific time, making him fret. He then replied, agitated, "Why a week exactly?!"

Dawkins noticed this sudden change of attitude in Dante, and continued, "You're aware when Desmond started feeling ill, aren't you?"

Dante hopped off the bed. "Yes, and?"

"When was the last time you went to Deepak?" Dawkins stood up and began circling Dante.

Dante didn't say a word and just glowered at Dawkins.

"It was a week ago as well, wasn't it?" Dawkins stopped in from of him and looked Dante in the eyes. "So, do you know what caused Desmond his problems?"

"Look," Dante averted his look from Dawkins. "Just because Desmond got sick the same time as I needed some time with Deepak doesn't mean I know a thing about his condition. Did the thought that this might be a coincidence not go through your head?!"

Dawkins nodded. "Indeed, it did. And I would have shrugged it off as just a coincidence, as well, until Deepak told me that both your auras felt similar; very similar. Deepak even thought that you two might've had some bad experience together."

Dante felt sweat running down his body as he listened to Dawkins.

"As we both know, Deepak's never wrong about these things," Dawkins said with a firm tone, "If you ask me, I think that you two did something that caused you both high amounts of stress; you went to Deepak and he helped you get over it, while Desmond's reluctance stopped him from seeking help.

"I've also been thinking that you two might've gone somewhere where Desmond could have contracted some sort of disease, resulting in his condition. I don't know for certain, but I believe it's one of those two possibilities."

Dante swallowed and stared at the floor.

Dawkins took in a breath and exhaled. "Dante, please. It's about Desmond's health. If you think you know something, anything, tell me so I'll know what to tell mum." He begged him.

Dante stood silent.

"Answer me, Dante!" Dawkins yelled as he made a heavy stomp on the floor. "Speak! Answer me! Come on!"

As she watched this, Dolly turned to Da Vinci and whispered to her, "Take Dawkins and go outside."

"What?!" Da Vinci said as she watched Dawkins shout at Dante.

"Ya see what's happening, don't ya?" Dolly pointed at their brothers. "We gotta break this up."

"Sure, but why must I also go outside?" Da Vinci turned to her.

"I'll get Dante to talk, but you and Dawkins must leave us alone," Dolly told her.

Da Vinci looked at her brothers, then turned back to her sister with uncertainty in her eyes.

"Just trust your big sis, alright?" Dolly smiled at her.

"Alright. If you can get him to talk," Da Vinci said then walked up to Dawkins and put her paw on his shoulder.

Dawkins turned his head at her. "What, Da Vinci?!" he shouted.

Da Vinci recoiled a little then said, "Dolly says she can get Dante to talk, but she wants some time alone with him."

"Excuse me?" Dawkins pulled his claws out and dug them in the wooden floor the second he heard this. "Why do we have to leave in order for him to talk?!" He pointed at Dante. "And only to Dolly?! Why?! Why won't you speak to me, Dante?! Come on! If you know something, speak! Are you just going to leave a person in need like that if you can help?!"

Da Vinci squeezed his shoulder. "Dawkins, please, let Dol—"

"NO!" Dawkins barked at her. "Not until he answers me!"

"Dawkins," Dolly put her paw on her brother's. "Let me handle this. Ya and Da Vinci wait outside, okay?"

Dawkins looked at Dolly with a hesitant look at first, but as he realized he was getting nowhere with this, he paused to try to collect himself. He scratched his head in irritation, then turned around and headed for the hallway.

Dolly then looked at Da Vinci and twitched her head towards Dawkins, gesturing for her to follow after him. Da Vinci went out of the room and closed the door, leaving Dolly and Dante alone.

Turning to Dawkins, Da Vinci sat beside him in the hallway and asked, "Why did you get so angry just now?"

"I just," Dawkins eyed the window at the end of the hallway as he gave it a thought. "Well... Can you believe this?" He looked back at his sister. "Someone is in a serious need of help and Dante's withholding information that could help me understand the problem!" Dawkins began tapping on the floor, furiously, as his body got hot from anger. "On top of that, he'll only talk to Dolly?! Why is he giving me such a hard time?! That damn dog is going to drive me mad!"

"Dawkins, please, calm yourself. Why are you getting so mad over this?" Da Vinci asked. "We don't even know if Dante actually knows anything for sure; you just assumed that he does." She pointed out.

Dawkins fell on the floor and let out a heavy groan as he put both his paws onto his head. "Why must they be so stubborn, both him and Desmond? I'm just trying to help here."

Da Vinci put a paw on Dawkins' back and started caressing him. _I know you are, Dawkins. We all know._

* * *

"Look how much trouble he's causing us," Dante said under his nose and gritted his teeth.

Dolly jerked her head at him. "Who?"

"Desmond, who else?" Dante let out a low growl.

Dolly stepped to her brother's side and put a paw on his back. "Figured ya wouldn't want to talk with 'em around. "That place, Downhill street; there ya went a week ago, right?"

Dante started tapping on the floor with a claw. "You promised me you wouldn't tell anyone about that night, right, Dolly?"

"Of course. I keep my word," Dolly said, "But listen, Deepak's aura thingy doesn't lie. Dawkins also made a good point. If there is something ya know, ya can tell your big sis."

Dante sighed and looked Dolly in the eyes. "Dawkins' first guess was correct. I wasn't the only one to go there, along with Por—Desmond," He corrected himself. "Desmond also came along."

"He did then, did he?" Dolly said surprised. "That late at night?"

"Out of nowhere too, then he tagged along." Dante broke eye contact with Dolly and began walking to his window. "We went to the house numbered '13'. There, we had some…" He paused for a moment as he closed the window, wondering if he should tell what had happened in the house.

Dolly's eyes widened and she winced upon hearing the number of the house. Noticing Dante's sudden pause, she approached and sat beside him, then wrapped her paw around him. "Hey. Whatever it is; it stays between us. I just need to know what caused Des his problems."

Dante thought about it for a minute and decided to be honest with her. "It stays between us; not to be mentioned to anyone else," he sternly said, "While at that house, we stumbled upon a certain type of plant; a hallucinogenic one."

Dolly pondered a little on this. "I'll guess that it causes hallucinations then?"

Dante nodded. "We both pricked ourselves on it, causing us to begin having terrible illusion, for several hours, I think." He began to tremble slightly. "They were really awful."

Dolly held her brother tight when she felt him tremble. "Go on."

"We saw some things, very disturbing things." Dante took Dolly's paw and lowered it back on the floor. "That's why I needed some time with Deepak last week. That's also why when Desmond came today, he pulled me in the bathroom to talk to me; it was a secret we promised to keep with each other."

"I see?" Dolly understood. "And Des?"

"He was the same way. When he and I talked in the bathroom, Desmond told me that his stress could have something to do with the hallucinations; he wasn't sure himself about it, though. But if I were to guess, I'd say that he got traumatized by what he saw and that's what caused so much strain on him. I think—no, I know Desmond isn't actually sick of anything; he even told me this himself." Dante said with confidence. "What happened there, in that house, had an effect on Desmond's mind."

"Huh?" Dolly said, puzzled. "How can ya be so sure?"

"Because that was the exact reason I went to Deepak. At first, I began having troublesome thoughts running through my head after Desmond and I left Downhill street." Dante tappet his head with a digit finger. "But during that night, I had nightmares and couldn't fall asleep. The next day, remember? My birthday?"

"Uh-huh." Dolly nodded.

"Through the entire day, I felt very sick, but I didn't pay much attention to it, thinking I felt like that due to my birthday," Dante told her.

 _So that's why ya were so overly grumpy during your birthday._ Dolly thought to herself.

"And then after one more night of nightmares and sleeplessness, I figured it was likely because of those hallucinations." Dante tsked, looking out of the window as the memory of Desmond, fainting and falling on the floor, emerge in his head. "Desmond probably thought the same and shrugged it off as no big deal, but unlike me, he didn't look for help when the problem began getting serious; it ate at him day after day, I imagine." Dante shivered again as another thought crossed his mind. _Wonder if I would've ended up the same way if it weren't for Deepak?_

Dolly slapped him across the head with her paw, making Dante yelp.

"What was that for?!" Dante yelled.

"'Cause of the stupid things ya do!" Dolly told him. "I expected ya to go have a look around the street, not go into that house. The hell were ya thinking?!"

Dante rubbed his head as he frowned at her. "I just wanted some fun that night. Having a stroll on the street wouldn't do it."

"So ya decided to get a kick out of entering abandoned houses?!" Dolly yelled.

"If this is about the rumors, I—"

"No, Dante, it's not about the rumors!" Dolly slammed her paw on the floor. "That house is old, and it's falling apart, and—" She stopped and sat down. "If ya got hurt while in there, what was I gonna do, huh?"

"But I didn't get hurt. As you can see, I'm fine," Dante replied while still rubbing his head. "Don't worry yourself with me, sis."

Dolly gently put her paw on top of Dante's head. "Does it still hurt? Sorry if I hit ya too hard."

"I've hit my head harder on concrete, don't worry," Dante told her.

Dolly started shaking Dante's head, side to side, a little. "At least you're fine as ya say ya are. Next time ya wanna go somewhere and want me to cover for ya, you'll tell me exactly where you're going and what you're doing. Understood?"

Dante snorted and eyed some of the pups that played in the backyard through his window.

Dolly shook his head harder. "Understood?" She repeated with a stern voice.

"Yeah, yeah, knock it off already!" Dante replied.

Dolly pulled her paw back and headed for the door. "Something that affected Desmond's mind, was it?"

Dante ran after her. "Hey, don't forget!"

"I'll leave the part where you entered that house and the hallucinations out, I know," Dolly assured him.

Dolly bit the handle, opened the door, and exited the room.

Dante shut the door after her. He then slammed his head against it as he thought about Desmond again. _Damn idiot._

* * *

Dolly walked up to Dawkins and Da Vinci.

"Well?" Dawkins asked.

"Dante told me he's sure that Des isn't sick from anything," Dolly said.

"And how does he know this?" Dawkins asked, raising his ears.

"Earlier, when they were in the bathroom, Desmond told him that," Dolly said and sat down.

Dawkins gave it a thought. _Sure, Desmond denied being ill, but I thought he was being stubborn and didn't want to admit to it; he wasn't lying? But then, why is his body in such a bad condition?_ Dawkins sat as well. "Then what?"

"Dante did admit that he and Desmond were somewhere last week," Dolly said, "He didn't tell me where though," She lied, "And there, Dante said that Desmond got traumatized by something."

"Traumatized, you say?" Dawkins rose his eyebrows. "By what? What's that something?"

"Heck if I know, Dante didn't tell me." Dolly lied again.

"Psychological trauma, is it then?" Dawkins murmured to himself.

Da Vinci picked up on this with an ear and turned to Dawkins. "You think so?"

"Yeah, it's not like any other option remains," Dawkins told her, "This could also explain Desmond's appearance; neglecting his health due to the high stress this trauma caused him."

Da Vinci dropped her ears.

"Dolly," Dawkins turned to her. "Why was Dante willing to talk only to you? Why was it a problem for Da Vinci and me to stay in his room?" He narrowed his eyes. "I find it weird. As if you wanted us out of the room because there was something only you and Dante knew and didn't want me and Da Vinci hearing it."

Dolly put a paw on her forehead. "Geez, always overthinking things, ain'tcha?" She huffed. "I wanted ya out of the room 'cause ya were yelling at Dante; ya two just can't talk without trying to bite each other's paws off, can ya?" she excused.

"Ah!" Dawkins looked to the side as he scowled. "Well, it's not my fault that he's such a—"

"Such a what?" Dolly glared at him.

"Ugh, never mind." Dawkins stood up. "Anyway," He looked towards Deepak's room. "I do believe Dylan made the right choice when he told Desmond to go to Deepak. If Desmond was traumatized mentally, relieving his mind via Deepak's meditation sessions should help start his healing; he needs to heal mentally before doing so physically." Dawkins then thought of something that made him bite his lip. "Though, I'm not sure if—"

Right then, the three dogs perked their ears up as they heard the click of a handle. They turned their attention towards Deepak's door as it opened.

Deepak came out, then closed the door behind him and leaned back on it.

"Hey, Deepak," Dawkins called out to him as he and his sisters ran up to the small pup.

Deepak turned his head towards them when he heard Dawkins call his name.

"What's the matter? Something wrong?" Dawkins asked as he approached him. "Why did you leave your room?" He looked towards the closed door. "Did you manage to help Desmond?"

Deepak blinked a couple of times before answering. "Well, umm," He looked to Da Vinci and Dolly. "As usual, I got Desmond to meditate," He looked back to Dawkins. "But then…"

* * *

**Half an Hour Ago.**

* * *

Meditating on his exercise ball, Deepak slowly opened his eyes as he and Desmond were reaching the five-minute mark. Without alerting him, Deepak hopped off the ball and silently landed on the floor. He made a few steps towards the still meditating Desmond but quickly backed away when he felt Desmond's dreary aura still flowing out of him. _No change?!_

"Desmond," Deepak said, "It's been five minutes."

Desmond opened his eyes and looked at Deepak.

"Your aura's still the same," Deepak told him, "But that's fine, after a minute, we'll try meditating for ten minutes."

"Alright…" Desmond laid his head on the floor.

A minute later, Deepak jumped back on the ball. Desmond rose his head, and along with Deepak, began meditating.

Deepak opened his eyes after ten minutes to check on Desmond again. He held his breath a little when he saw Desmond's body shivering. "That's ten minutes, Desmond!" He said with a worried voice. "How do you feel?"

Desmond fondled with his shaking paws, then snorted out and made a slight frown. "I can't do it…"

"Oh, no, no! Desmond, don't get discouraged! Listen," Deepak jumped down. "Remember what I said about Dante?"

Desmond nodded.

"I'm sure you're just the same case." Deepak smiled at him. "Come on, take a minute to rest and—"

"Actually, can I take a little more time to rest before meditating, this time…?" Desmond asked and drooped his head on the floor as he knitted his brows.

"S-Sure. Alright," Deepak said, then turned around and walked to the window. He took a look at the city outside as he thought, _I don't get it. Sure, five minutes didn't do it, not that I expected them to, but usually, ten minutes works, or at least I see some kind of change with the others; with Desmond, however, there's no progress._

Deepak spun his head to take a look at Desmond. His eyes widened when he saw that Desmond had buried his face in his paws, and his body had begun to shake violently. Deepak quickly turned back to the window and leaned his head against the glass. _This time, it has to work. It will work!_

Letting Desmond rest for a few more minutes, Deepak took a glance at him and saw that Desmond had moved his paws to the side. Taking in a breath, Deepak walked back and hoped onto his ball. He looked down at Desmond and forced a smile. "Remember, focus on your mantra, right?"

"Yeah, I know…" Desmond replied with a raspy voice.

Both began their final meditation.

As time passed, Deepak found himself opening an eye every minute or so, to take a look at Desmond. With each look, he saw how Desmond's body trembled more and more. At one point, Deepak noticed Desmond extending and quickly retracting his claws several times; something that took him aback. As this continued, Deepak stopped meditating altogether and simply stared at Desmond as he balanced on the ball.

 _What's going on?!_ Deepak put a paw to his cheek. _W-Why? Why isn't it working?! But there's still time. Desmond can do it. Even if he doesn't fully relax, a slight change is all I need to see, only that. I'll know; his aura will tell me. Come on, Desmond, show me that this works, that it helped you, please!_

Just then, Deepak got startled and almost fell off his ball when Desmond sprang up, on his paws, panting and sweating.

"D-Desmond, wh—!" Deepak rushed off the ball. "Why did you stop?! It hasn't even been ten minutes yet. Why did—!"

"I can't, Deepak…!" Desmond told him through breaths. "I can't do this… I just can't…!" He dropped on his backside.

Deepak's ears pinned to the side as he watched Desmond, trembling and panting as if he'd faint at any moment. "Alright, alright! We're stopping!" He rose both his paws at him, gesturing for Desmond to calm down. "We're stopping."

Desmond hung his head and gazed at the floor.

Deepak stood, bewildered for several seconds before approaching Desmond. As he did, he could clearly feel the same somber aura coming from Desmond but couldn't stop himself from saying, "Do you feel any different, a little, at least?"

"Any different…?" Desmond rose his head up and glowered at him. "Do I look any different to you…?!" He snorted out and made a slight frown.

Deepak hung his head. "No."

"I'm sure you could feel it yourself, so why bother asking…?" Desmond said as he let out a light growl.

"I just thought that I might be wrong—" Deepak paused and thought, _What am I saying? I'm never wrong about this._ He then backed away from Desmond and looked towards the door. "L-Listen, you stay here, I'll be right back, okay? I need some time to rethink our session; I could be wrong about something." Deepak, hastily, walked to his door, opened it, and exited the room.

* * *

**Present Time.**

* * *

"... And so, I couldn't help him." Deepak told them as he felt his paws begin to tremble slightly. "I don't know what to do." He averted his eyes from them. "I'm s-sorry I couldn't do anything." Deepak started taking rapid, deep breaths.

Da Vinci went to him and wrapped her paws around him. "There, there," she said with a gentle voice, "Don't say such things, Deepak."

"Yeah, little bro." Dolly stroked Deepak's head. "Ya are good at fixing peoples' moods, so of course, ya can help him, c'mon now!"

Deepak looked Dolly in the eyes. "How, Dolly?! We've already spent almost thirty minutes meditating in total, and there was no change in him at all!"

Dawkins rose his paw at his little brother. "Now, hold on, Deepa—"

"L-Look!" Deepak broke from Da Vinci's grasp and pointed at the window at the end of the hallway. "Look outside! At the pups! Whenever they have a problem, they come to me and never leave my room without a smile." He ran up to Dawkins. "Right?!"

Dawkins nodded.

"There!" Deepak said as his bottom lip quivered. "Then, why?! Why won't my method work with him?!" He sat down. "It always does. It does."

Dawkins sat beside Deepak and put a paw on his shoulder. "I believe the fault isn't in you, Deepak."

"Of course, it is!" Deepak looked at the floor. "I said I'd help him; I assured him of it! But I couldn't do it; I think I may have made things worse even." Tears began running down Deepak's cheeks. He tried blinking them away before wiping them off with his paw. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but this has never happened to me before. I'm just a little confused."

Dolly came from behind and rubbed Deepak's back. "Come now, Deepak, how could you have made things worse?"

"Desmond didn't seem too pleased at the end," Deepak told her, "Not that I blame him."

"Deepak." Dawkins put a paw under Deepak's chin and lifted his head. "You're not the one at fault here; I believe that's Desmond."

"Wh-What are you saying?" Deepak asked, rubbing his left eye as he felt tears welling up in it. "Sorry, they just won't stop; I hate it when this happens."

Dawkins patted his brother's head. "Don't worry. I understand how you feel." He let Deepak wipe away his tears before continuing. "Now, listen to me. Did Desmond accept your help?"

"Yeah, of course, he did; Desmond decided to come to me for help himself, didn't he?" Deepak replied. "He wants to heal—"

"Is what he's telling himself," Dawkins said.

Deepak shut his mouth while Dolly and Da Vinci jerked their heads at Dawkins when they heard him say this.

"It's not uncommon," Dawkins told them, "Mum told me that this has happened with some of her patients, where medication or other treatments had little to no effect on them simply because they didn't believe it would work or didn't want to recover; I think this is Desmond's case."

"Well, what can I do if he doesn't want to get better?" Deepak asked.

Dawkins turned to the side, giving it a thought. He looked to the door and back to his brother. "Try to make him fully acknowledge it. Make Desmond want to recover. Can you do that?"

Deepak dropped his ears. "I don't know if I can." He looked down the hallway, towards Dante's room. "And Dante? Did you ask him? What did he say?"

"As I suspected, he had an idea of what was going on. Dante told me—" Dawkins glanced at Dolly for a second. "Told us that Desmond got traumatized." He walked up to the door. "And because meditation focuses on mindfulness, which is one way of treating this kind of trauma, I figured that leaving him with you was a good decision. But with you telling me that your session didn't amount to anything," Dawkins held his head. "I am, umm, surprised, honestly. I thought this would work." As he rubbed his head, Dawkins noticed his brother and sisters staring at him as they slightly frowned. "What?! Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You study medicine, so don't you know any other way of helping him, Dawkins?" Da Vinci asked.

"I've been mostly studying treatment for physical, not mental trauma," Dawkins told her, "I don't know all that much about it." He bit his lip. "Look now! Treatment varies from person to person; what works for someone won't necessarily work for another." Dawkins walked to the wall and leaned back on it. "But remember what I just said, if someone is unwilling to accept treatment, said treatment might not have an effect on them. Meditation may not work for Desmond for that same reason and not necessarily because it's the wrong treatment." Dawkins said, then started biting his claws as he began thinking things over.

Deepak sat as he eyed the floor, he rose his head to see the worried expressions on both Dawkins and Da Vinci, which made him feel somewhat sick.

Seeing how upset Deepak seemed, Dolly stepped in front of him "Hey."

Deepak looked up at her.

Dolly leaned her head down. "If ya can't do this, don't stress yourself over it, okay? We'll just wait for mom to come back; she'll fix Des up." She said and forced a tiny smile.

Deepak felt nauseous as he could sense that Dolly's aura was full of unease and uncertainty as she said this to him. Turning his attention back at Dawkins and Da Vinci to see their worried expressions again, Deepak's body twitched as a sudden wave of frustration shot through it. He stood up, rushed over to Dawkins, and tapped him on the leg. "I can do it. I'll get Desmond to accept my help," he said with a solemn tone.

This got Dawkins to raise his brows and stop biting his claws, he retracted them back then asked, "Are you sure you can do it?"

Deepak nodded, then headed for his door. Before entering, he sat, slowed down his breaths, and slapped his cheeks. _Come on, come on! You've helped so many of your brothers and sisters; you can help him._ Deepak entered his room and shut the door.

"It's odd to me," Da Vinci said, "Deepak has never failed at this before." She sat next to Dawkins. "Do you think he'll do it this time?"

"Have some faith in him, Da Vinci." Dawkins turned to his sister and smiled at her. "I'm sure his second attempt will give a positive result."

"Hope you're right about that," Dolly said, "' Cause his reaction just now did bother me a lot."

Dawkins looked towards his brother's room. _Prove me right, Deepak._

* * *

As he was standing in front of the window, looking at the backyard, Desmond tilted his head to the side as he watched the pups.

_It's cold here, Desmond…_

_I'm scared, we're scared…_

_I know, I know…_ Desmond thought.

_I don't know if we can take any more of this…_

_There's barely any water…_

_And they don't give us enough food…_

_I understand…_ Desmond scowled. _I'll get you out of there…! Don't fear, don't…_

_Get out of here, kid…_

_The guards will see you…_

_You don't want to end up like us, do you…?_

_Enough…!_ Desmond bumped his head against the windowsill. _Enough, please… Trust me… I'll get you both out; it doesn't matter how…_ He looked at the pups again. _It really doesn't matter how…_

"Desmond?"

Desmond spun his head to see Deepak, who stood behind him.

"What are you doing?" Deepak asked, puzzled.

"What do you mean…?" Desmond replied.

"With my ball." Deepak pointed towards Desmond's right paw, which was rolling the exorcise ball, side to side.

Desmond pulled his paw back and looked at the ball with a bit of confusion. Turning to Deepak, he moved away from the window and the ball. "I, umm, I'm not sure… I don't remember moving the ball…" He shook his head and walked back to his sitting place. "Anyway, what now, Deepak…? Did you figure something out…?"

Deepak walked up to his window and looked through it. "What were you so focused on?" He looked at the buildings, the clouds, and towards the distance.

"Nothing really, I was just watching the pups play…" Desmond replied with a growl. "Now, come on…! Did you find what was wrong…? Was I mediating incorrectly…?"

 _I wouldn't forgive myself if I failed to help him._ Deepak thought to himself then turned his attention at Desmond. "No, there was nothing wrong with your meditation," he told him as he started rolling the ball back to its place, "But I thought about it, and I figured that the problem why our session isn't working is because you aren't being fully honest with yourself, Desmond."

Desmond pulled his brows together. "I don't follow…"

 _I hope you're right about this, Dawkins._ Deepak thought, then move a little closer to Desmond, making sure to leave a meter of distance, and sat down. "When you came to me, you did so with the intention of healing, right?"

"Yes, why would I come otherwise…?" Desmond replied.

Deepak pointed his digit finger at him. "You lie, Desmond."

"What…?!" Desmond scoffed.

"Not to me, but to yourself," Deepak told him, "I think that you don't fully wish to heal."

"Aha, got you…!" Desmond snarled at him. "It's my fault, then, is that right…?!"

Deepak recoiled a little. "I'm not saying—"

"You said that you'd help me…!" Desmond stood up and made a couple of steps towards Deepak. "And what…?! You're excusing yourself by saying that I'm the one to blame here, ah…?!"

"P-Please, not so close." Deepak backed away from Desmond.

Desmond clicked his tongue and moved back to his place.

"I'm not saying that you're to blame for this, Desmond," Deepak told him with a calm voice and sat down, "All I want is a little help from you here. Put your trust in me so that I can help you."

"I already did…" Desmond exhaled in frustration.

"Your aura just staggered, you aren't honest," Deepak said.

Desmond turned away from him. "I'm not going to repeat myself…"

Deepak sighed and hung his head; he scratched the floor a little with a claw as he pondered on a thought. After a while, Deepak rose his head and said, "Desmond."

Desmond fixed his eyes onto him.

Deepak stood himself up. "I give up," he said and began walking towards the door.

Desmond's ears jerked up, and he jumped on his paws. "Wha—YOU WHAT…?!"

"If you aren't willing to cooperate with me, I can't do anything to help you, Desmond," Deepak told him as he neared the door.

Desmond's eyes widened and his body trembled as he watched Deepak, who was a step away from exiting the room.


	20. Peace of Mind, Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Chapter Cover](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/6a4adea5-ce0f-4750-879c-8c100f181705/de3varr-07c0f2e6-33d8-4a2a-9860-a680aec36fc7.png/v1/fill/w_1280,h_1811,q_80,strp/peace_of_mind__part_3_by_valo_son_de3varr-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD0xODExIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvNmE0YWRlYTUtY2UwZi00NzUwLTg3OWMtOGMxMDBmMTgxNzA1XC9kZTN2YXJyLTA3YzBmMmU2LTMzZDgtNGEyYS05ODYwLWE2ODBhZWMzNmZjNy5wbmciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.F8dhHh-EO6VeVZ4Y1By41E6wGuTY72H0DHGCRWHXLmk)

_What do you mean you give up…?!_ Desmond thought as his breathing took on a rapid pace. _You…_ Desmond began shaking fiercely. _You promised you'd help me, Deepak… You promised…_ Desmond pulled his ears back."W-WAIT…!" He yelled out to Deepak before he could exit the room. "Please, wait…!"

Deepak stopped in place and rose an ear slightly.

"I…" Desmond swallowed. "I did put my trust in you, I swear…! Please, Deepak, don't leave…!" He took a couple of steps as he wobbled towards Deepak. "I can't take this anymore… I don't have the strength to…" Desmond tripped and fell on the floor, which made Deepak spun his head in a jolt.

Deepak let out a low gasp when he saw Desmond and ran to him. Reaching him, he immediately sensed a shift in Desmond's aura; where there was once frustration, was now replaced by desperation. Deepak also took notice of how weak and frail the aura had become.

"I'll do whatever you say… Whatever you want of me, I'll do it…" Desmond looked up at Deepak. "Please, just don't leave…" He begged.

Deepak drooped his ears and sighed. He put a paw on Desmond's head and began caressing it. The dreary aura still filled Deepak with unease but he endured it as he saw that Desmond needed someone beside him. _His aura didn't stagger; he isn't lying. Though, honestly, by his reaction alone, I could tell that. You really do want all of this to end already, don't you?_

"I'm sorry, Deepak… Sorry for blaming you…" Desmond said, voice quavering.

Deepak looked Desmond in the eyes as he thought. _And I'm sorry for scaring you like this, but I couldn't think of anything else._ He let out a low moan and laid beside Desmond. _If you care so much, why doesn't this work?_ Deepak pondered for a short while then said, "I can understand if this is getting you angry, but I need you to accept my help. Please."

Desmond turned his head at Deepak to face him. "I will, I really will…"

 _I need to be more patient with him._ Deepak thought, then stood up. "I don't know if this will suffice, but it usually calms the pups down." He wrapped his paws around Desmond's side, hugging him. "Do tell me if this bothers you."

Desmond dropped his head on the floor as he eyed Deepak. "It's fine… Thank you for staying…"

"Can I ask you something?" Deepak said.

Desmond nodded.

"While outside, I learned from Dante that you might have been traumatized." Deepak stroked Desmond's back. "Is it true?"

"I don't know…" Desmond took in a breath. "I suppose it's possible…"

"If you can, tell me what has been troubling you the most for the past week?" Deepak asked. "If you don't know exactly what it is, that's fine. I just need some idea of what the problem may be."

Desmond thought about this. _What is it…? I would like to know, I really do…_ He put his right front leg on Deepak's back, appreciating the pup's effort to comfort him. _Was it the hallucinations, or was it, Dante…? Those cold and determined eyes of his…_ Remembering the feeling of Dante's fangs prodding on his neck, a sudden shiver hit his body.

Deepak tightened his embrace when he felt the strong shiver. "What's the matter?! Your aura just lurched all of a sudden."

After taking some time to stop shaking, Desmond said, "Sorry… I was thinking about it; trying to see if I could figure the problem out…" He then averted his eyes. "Are you, err, fine with this…? You're probably sick of my aura by now; being so close and all…"

Deepak shook his head side to side. "When you came to me, I thought that you just needed some relaxation; it's what the others told me anyway. I didn't think your problem was more serious than that." Deepak patted him on the leg. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. Take as much time to figure this out as you need." He then thought. _Help me understand you, Desmond. What is it?!_

Desmond went back to thinking. He closed his eyes and tried focusing.

…

_Hey… Hey, kid...!_

_You sure have a lot of guts coming here by yourself this late at night…_

Desmond scowled. _What do you what me to do, old men…? Leave you two like this…?_

_That voice, Desmond…! Is it you…?!_

_Yeah… Here, I brought you guys some food…_ Desmond thought. _Hurry, take it…_

_Oh, Desmond… Thank you so much…!_

_Don't, please…_ Desmond huffed. _I'm still trying to figure something out… Stay strong until then, alright…?_

_We do appreciate everything you've done, Desmond, but you shouldn't get involved in this…_

_I'd listen to her, kid… I don't think we're worth the trouble—_

_No…! How can you say that…?!_ Desmond let out low whimpers but kept his mouth shut, trying not to grab Deepak's attention. _I won't go back on my word…! You two wait, I'll be getting you out soon…_

_Come on… Go home, kid…_

_Go home, Desmond…_

Desmond opened his eyes. "Home…?" The word left his mouth.

Deepak perked one ear and turned to him.

"Yeah, that's right…! I do want to go back a-an—" Desmond shut his mouth with his left paw as he glimpsed at Deepak. _And help them…! How much… How much I want to…_

Deepak noticed Desmond's eyes tearing up a little. He pondered on this, feeling Desmond's aura make a subtle shift as he said those words. To Deepak, it almost felt as if the aura gained some vitality for an instant. _That was sudden._ He thought to himself. _Are you homesick? Is that it, Desmond? You did just move in here, after all. Moving so far away from home is very stressful, I know._ Deepak laid his head onto Desmond's fur. _Your heart is beating so fast. Does it scare you? The thought of being here alone, or maybe that you've made the wrong decision of coming here?_

"Hey, Desmond?" Deepak said. "Is your home on your mind?"

Desmond took a while before nodding his head.

"Do you miss it?"

Desmond nodded again.

"Do you think, perhaps, that is it?" Deepak asked. "That you're simply homesick?"

Desmond moved his paw from Deepak's back towards his collar. He taped the golden tag with a claw. "The dots on my collar aren't there by chance…"

Deepak stayed silent, focusing on the collar.

"Back when I was a pup, I had a hard time remembering my family's surname…" Desmond said. "My mom had our human put the dots onto my collar… Then told me to just look at it if I couldn't remember my surname…" He put his paw back onto Deepak's back and looked at the pup's collar. "What do you think of yours, Deepak…?"

Deepak glanced at it. "Nothing much. It's my second one, actually."

"Heh, really now…? But to me, it means a lot… It's not something I can afford to lose or damage…" Desmond sighed. "I associate it with my family…"

 _That's a really nice way of thinking about it._ Deepak smiled as this thought crossed his mind. "I think your collar's beautiful."

"Most dogs say that… Though, I honestly wouldn't care if the collar was cheap or ugly…" Desmond told him. "Doesn't matter to me if it cost five lei or five thousand lei, I'd still cherish it…"

"Lei?" Deepak wondered.

"The currency of my country…" Desmond told him.

"Oh," Deepak mumbled.

Desmond bit his lip. "It's not like I didn't anticipate this, but I thought that as long as this," He tapped his collar. "Was with me, it wouldn't be a problem… At least…"

"That's what you thought?" Deepak said.

"Guess so…" Desmond replied.

"Homesick…?" Desmond pondered on this word as he stared at the clock. _I didn't think much of it; didn't seem that big of a deal at the time… Is it really that…? Can I not endure being away from home…? Is it really just that…?! But I did want to move out; go away from that damn mansion… I thought I was prepared…_ Desmond began scratching on the wooden boards with a claw as he stood silent from a moment, thinking about this. He continued for a minute before tapping Deepak on the back, making him turn to him. "You have it, Deepak…" He looked the pup in the eyes. "I trust you; fully…"

Deepak was delighted by what he felt from Desmond's aura as he said that, and with a smile told him, "Your aura agrees with your words." Deepak let go of Desmond, stood up, and looked back at him. "You can stand on your own, right?"

"Sure…" Desmond said. He slowly rose up and, along with Deepak, walked to the exercise ball.

Deepak stopped and turned around towards him. "This time I won't put a time limit on you. We'll do this at your own pace, okay?"

Desmond laid down as Deepak hopped on his ball.

 _I need to get that thought out of his head if I want him to start getting better._ Deepak balanced on the ball. "We'll begin whenever you're ready."

"Focus on my mantra, right…?" Desmond said.

Deepak nodded. "I hope it works this time."

"So do I…" Desmond replied. He closed his eyes and began meditating.

Deepak looked at Desmond for a short time before joining him.

* * *

Dawkins was staring at Deepak's door as he was sat. He stood up and turned to his sisters. "I'll be going back to my room. You two? Are you going to stay here all day?"

"Dylan's waiting on me, I'll go tell him what's going on," Dolly told them. She went down the staircase and towards the backyard.

Dawkins proceeded to his room.

Da Vinci watched Dolly as she walked down the stairs and Dawkins as he entered his room. Finding herself alone in the hallway, she leaned back on the wall and waited. Looking to her left then right, Da Vinci wrapped her arms around herself and pulled her head back when the realization of her being all alone fully sank in. She lifted her bandana, covering her mouth and nose, and continued to wait, fixing her eyes at the door.

After some more time, Da Vinci looked towards Dawkins' room. She turned back to look at Deepak's room one more time before she made her way down the hallway.

Da Vinci stopped herself right before entering when she heard Dawkins talking with someone. She peeked in to take a look and saw her brother on his bed, holding his tablet as he talked to someone on it. Da Vinci pulled her head back and rose her ears to listen.

"… And It seems that Desmond isn't ill of anything as well, mum," Dawkins told her.

"I see," Delilah replied.

"The only thing I'm certain of, anyway," Dawkins said with a grunt as he looked to the side.

"Now, why are you so angry, Dawkins?" Delilah looked at him with concern. "Figuring out a patient's exact condition is a very important step before any kind of treatment is taken," She said as she smiled at him, "Learning the cause of the problem is important, too. All I wanted you to do was keep Desmond in the house until I came back. Instead, you upped and cut my work in half!" Delilah told him. "You did very well, Dawkins."

Dawkins scowled when he heard his mother praise him. "Only that it wasn't me who figured that out, mum; it was Deepak. And Dante was the one who told us about Desmond's trauma."

Delilah pondered a little. "Dante, you say? And how does he know, might I ask?"

Dawkins scratched his ear. "Don't know; he didn't say."

"Really now?" Delilah said with a solemn tone. "Remind me to have a word with him when I come back."

Dawkins nodded. "I'll try to keep Desmond here as you asked then; suppose it's all I can do." He let out a sigh. "It'd be best to leave him to you."

"Sweetie, don't be like that," She told him with a gentle voice.

"It's fine, mum," Dawkins told her, "I just hope you can help him if Deepak can't."

"Dawkins, listen—" Delilah got cut off by the click of a handle. She turned her head to see a doctor exiting out the ward next to her, he squatted down and patted her on the back.

"Come on, Delilah. We can't wait for you any longer." The doctor told her then went back in the ward, leaving the door open for her.

"Suppose you have to go." Dawkins forced a small smile. "I apologies for bothering you during work."

"On, no, Dawkins, It's quite alright. Tell me if something happens," Delilah said.

Dawkins waved with his paw. "See you home, mum."

Delilah smiled back at him. "See you home, sweetie." She then ended the video call.

Dawkins put the tablet to the side and picked up a medical book that lay beside him. He turned his head towards the door when he heard a knock on it.

Da Vinci pulled her bandana down. "Mind if I stay with you?"

"No. Come in," Dawkins replied.

Da Vinci entered, heading towards her brother's bed.

Dawkins paid her no attention as he focused on the book. "This is just great! Months upon studying and the only thing I can do is speculate." He tossed the book across the room; it slammed against the wall, making Da Vinci jolt in alarm.

"Dawkins!" Da Vinci looked at him with worry. "What was that?"

Dawkins exhaled. "Childish behavior." He jumped off the bed and went to pick up the book. "Apologies for startling you." He walked past her towards a chair, hopped on it, and put the book on a shelf.

Da Vinci jumped on the bed and tapped on it with her paw. "Come here."

Dawkins snorted out a little and dragged his paws to his bed. He looked up at his sister. "What is it?"

"Come on, hop on." Da Vinci tapped the bed again.

Dawkins jumped on it and went to drop on a pillow, turning his head away from his sister.

Da Vinci walked up to him. "Why are you so frustrated, Dawkins?" She walked around to face him and laid herself next to him.

"Eight months and two weeks," Dawkins said, "I've been contemplating which of the two to pick as my main goal. I've been leaning towards medicine more than engineering, honestly. Though, from what I've seen today," Dawkins turned himself to the other side of the bed, away from Da Vinci again. "Perhaps, medicine is best suited for people like mum, not me."

"Dawkins, don't talk like that!" Da Vinci made a slight frown. "You were so passionate about becoming a nurse dog. You put so much time into this, don't give up now! You were the one to take action when Desmond fainted, remember? You studied on this and knew what to do; it paid off, didn't it?"

"You forget," Dawkins rose one of his digit fingers. "When Desmond fainted, mum was the one to instruct me on what to do; she did most of the work." He rose a second finger. "I couldn't realize what was going on without Deepak and Dante; have you ever seen mum need help with a simple diagnose?" Dawkins rose a third. "All I offered Deepak was a theory based entirely on the information Dante gave us. I don't know if what I told him to do would work a hundred percent with Desmond. It might not even work at all, who's to say?"

"You see those there?" Dawkins pointed at his medical books on the shelf. "I've been reading them month after month, over and over again, just so that I could, one day, hopefully, become a nurse dog. Yet, here comes an opportunity to prove to myself that this occupation is the right one for me rather than engineering. Instead, here I am, lying on my bed, waiting for Deepak or mum to fix Desmond when it should be me who's helping him." Dawkins let out a moan. "The only thing I got instructed on doing is keeping Desmond here, and I should be able to do more than that."

"But, Dawkins," Da Vinci rubbed his back. "Don't you think you're rushing into a big decision like this without much thought?"

Dawkins let out a growl. "Haven't you been listening?! If it was meant for me, I would've been able to diagnose Desmond by now on my own, at the very least. What this tells me is that I wasted my damn time on studying something I'm not good at."

"Remember what Dylan told you?" Da Vinci asked.

Dawkins rose his ear. "Do tell," He said with a little anger in his voice.

"Practice and theory are two different things," Da Vinci told him then gave it some thought and said, "You're very talented in building and repairing ever since you tried your paw at it, but I don't think you've ever stumbled anywhere with those things, have you?"

Dawkins started tapping on the bedsheet with a paw, pondering on these words.

"Maybe you should do what Deepak is doing right now and give it a second chance," Da Vinci told him.

Dawkins began fondling with his paws and closed his eyes. "I'll sleep on it. If Deepak calls, wake me up."

"O-Okay." Da Vinci sighed. She then looked at the blanket in the corner of the bed. "Do you want me to cover you with the blanket?"

"Absurd. I'm not eight anymore, Da Vinci." Dawkins growled. "I just want you to wake me up if anything happens."

Da Vinci leaned back on the bed. "Well, fine." She looked outside the room and began to wait once again.

* * *

Dolly entered the backyard. Turning her eyes side to side, searching for Dylan, Dolly began moving through the pups. "Huh? Where is—" She paused and quickly perked her left ear upon hearing Dylan's voice. She looked to her left and saw him near a trampoline.

"That's it, Denzel, off the trampoline!" Dylan yelled at the pup.

Denzel frowned. "Aww, c'mon, big bro! I won't do it again—"

"If you can't keep a distance from the others, you won't be bouncing," Dylan told him sternly, "Now, off!"

Denzel huffed and jumped back on the grass. Some of the pups still on the trampoline began laughing and giggling as they watched him get off.

"That also goes for the rest of you!" Dylan turned to them. "I don't want to see any of you bumping into each other and falling on the ground. Got that?!"

The pups immediately shut their mouths and nodded.

As he watched them, Dylan flinched when a paw began tapping him on the head. He turned around to see Dolly standing behind him.

"Lay off, Dylan." Dolly tapped him on the head again. "Just let 'em have their fun." She turned to the pups and said, "Don't mind him, guys. Go crazy on that thing!"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah!" The pups yelled in happiness and began jumping all over the trampoline, unconcerned with each other.

Dylan glared at Dolly. He lifted his paw and lightly flicked her injured ear.

"Ouch, ouch! Ow, ow, ow!" Dolly recoiled back as she held her ear. "Dude! Not cool!"

 _Take that as payback for earlier, too._ Dylan thought as he smirked. He then turned back to the pups. "Anyone who wants to get banned from using the trampoline for a week, please, listen to Dolly," He told them with a stern tone.

The pups quickly stopped bouncing and started jumping lightly, keeping their distance from one another.

"Ah," Dolly growled as she carefully rubbed her ear. "Way to hit below the belt! Geez!"

Dylan chuckled. "Well, how's Desmond?"

"Ah, yeah, yeah." Dolly sat down. "Umm, he's up, but things don't seem to be going well."

"R-Really?" Dylan tilted his head to the side and sat next to her. "Why? What's the matter?"

Dolly rubbed her neck. "Well, Des wasn't in the living room when Da Vinci and I went to check on him. We figured he's with Deepak, so we went to the second floor and…"

**…**

"I see," Dylan scratched his paw. "A trauma then?"

"Yeah." Dolly nodded. "And we're waiting on Deepak right now, pretty much." She sighed.

Dylan turned to Dolly and was about to tell her something when he noticed a lot of the pups had gathered around, listening to them.

"Are Deepak and Mister Desmond feeling well?" One of the pups asked, a little worried.

"Ah, no, no! They're both fine, they're fine!" Dolly waved with her paw and smiled at the pups. "Deepak's having a bit of trouble is all, but it's all fine. Don't worry."

"Yeah," Dylan agreed, "Now, come on, everyone, back to playing!"

The pups looked at each other and shrugged. They quickly rushed back into their games.

"I hope Deepak manages to do it this time." Dylan got up. "Alright, thanks for telling me. Can you keep me posted on this?"

"You got it." Dolly stood and began walking towards the house. She spun her head to look at Dylan as she neared the door. "And ya stop being so strict with the pups, ya hear?"

Dylan huffed and ignored her as he returned to monitoring his brothers and sisters.

Before entering, Dolly rose her head towards Dante's window for a moment, giving it a quick look before proceeding into the house.

* * *

Dante was stomping on the floor as he walked from one corner of his room to the other.

 _What's the matter with me?!_ Dante thought. _It's been irking me so much, yet it's just one dumb word!_ He stopped and looked towards his bed then walked up to it. He ducked down and pulled a gig bag from under it. Dante walked up to a nightstand, opened one of its drawers, and pulled out a string pack. "Maybe this will distract me." He walked back to the gig bag, unzipped it, and pulled out a dark-red electric guitar. Dante took a close look at the strings of the guitar. "Yeah, pretty worn-out, aren't you?" He cut the strings, one by one with a claw, then unwind them from the pegs. He took the pack and sliced it open. Taking out six strings, Dante began attaching them on the guitar as he held one end with his mouth and the other with his paws.

_I refuse to let a brat help me…!_

He gritted his teeth, breaking a string with his fangs in the process. Dante paused, looking at it for a moment, pondering. He put the guitar on the floor, then tossed the string away and fell on his backside. "A brat, huh?" He scratched his head, fiercely, and let out a light growl. "You sure have some nerve, Desmond."

* * *

"I'm sorry, Deepak…" Desmond said, opening his eyes and rolling over to the side. "I just can't…"

Deepak opened his eyes, and as quickly as he did, he dropped his ears. _Eleven minutes?!_ He held his cheek with a paw. _At least you tried lasting more this time around._ He jumped off the ball and walked up to him. _Same. There's no difference._ Deepak thought, sensing the aura flowing out of Desmond. He fell on his back, next to him. _Calm down, Deepak!_ He started rubbing his face. _I saw it in his eyes not only in his aura; there's no doubt, he wants to get better and_ _relies on me._

Pulling his paws away from his face, Deepak began pondering. _Is it me then? Am I doing something wrong?_ He slammed his paws together and stood up in a rush upon considering this thought. _No, no! I don't believe it! I don't!_ He moved back to his ball. _I just don't!_

As he stared at the floor, thinking, Deepak turned his attention back to Desmond only to see him breathing rapidly and holding his head tightly. "Desmond, are you alright?!" He ran up to him. "Does your head hurt? I'll call Dawkins!"

Desmond grabbed him by the leg. "N-No, don't… It's fine… Just a little headache, nothing to worry about…" He assured the pup.

Deepak sat down and looked at Desmond with concern. "You sure? If it hurts a lot—"

"Just give me some time… Don't bother Dawkins…" Desmond said. He pressed his paw to his forehead as he felt the pain return. "Argh—Ahhh…!"

Watching Desmond, Deepak noticed his breathing had quickened. With haste, he started controlling it, taking in slow breaths. _Don't panic, don't panic! Think. What did Dawkins say? What was it?_ Deepak looked at Desmond. _I got him to fully accept my help. Unfortunately, that didn't work. Dawkins said something else, though._ He scratched his head. _What else did you say, Dawkins?_ Deepak glanced at his ball, and a second later, his ears jumped up. _Different treatment?! Yeah, that was it!_

He ran back to the ball, put a paw on it, and began to slowly roll it. _He was doing something like this, wasn't he?_ Deepak moved to the window. _And he was also looking at the pups play._ He sat down and put his paws together. _Desmond was surprised when he realized he was rolling the ball._ _Maybe they got him to act without him realizing it._ He squinted his eyes as he focused on his paws. _Does Desmond respond better to activity?_ Deepak started wagging his tail as he grew a smile. _Maybe that's it! A different method! It's worth giving it a shot._ He quickly stood up and dashed over to Desmond. He put his paw on Desmond's. "Does your head still hurt?"

"Not anymore…" Desmond rubbed his head and got back up. He took notice of Deepak's wagging tail. "What got you so excited…?"

"Listen! I think I know how to help you now!" Deepak told him with a broad smile. He walked past Desmond to the corner of his room. There, stood on the wall, were three mats; rolled up and tied with shoelaces. Deepak knocked two of them to the floor and rolled them towards Desmond, using his head. "Mind moving a little to the side?"

Desmond cocked his head as he moved. "Do you need help…?"

"No, no. I can handle this." Deepak placed the mats, side by side, then began to untie them. "Think I did this with mom a few times, but I don't really remember doing it with anyone else besides myself." Unrolling them, Deepak sat on one mat and tapped on the other with his paw. "Come. Sit."

Desmond walked onto the mat and sat on it. "What are we doing now…?"

"Yoga," Deepak told him. He stood up, then lowered his entire front as he rose his hips up at the same time. "Can you do this pose?"

Desmond got up and took the exact same stance as Deepak. "Like this…?"

"Yes, that's it! Just keep your elbows off the floor if you can," Deepak replied with a small grin. After waiting a couple of seconds, he asked, "How is it?"

"Pretty nice…" Desmond said.

"Good." Deepak smiled at him. "Now, incorporate what you've learned about meditation here." He lowered his head to the mat and touched it with his nose.

Desmond did the same.

"Hold this pose for ten breaths," Deepak said with a gentle voice, "After that, follow what I do, okay?"

"Yeah, alright…" Desmond Inhaled and exhale.

"Easy, Desmond," Deepak told him, "Do it slowly."

"That was slow…" Desmond turned his head at him.

"You need to do it even slower." Deepak took a long, slow breath through his nose and held it in for a few seconds before letting it out from his mouth.

Desmond copied Deepak's way of breathing.

After both of them finished exhaling their tenth breath, Deepak rose his head up along with his front, lowered his hips, and stretched his tail and hind legs out behind him.

Deepak glanced at Desmond and was surprised to see that he had already taken the pose. He felt his paws shake a little from excitement when he sensed Desmond's aura turn tranquil for a few seconds. "Excellent, Desmond. Excellent."

"How many breaths this time…?" Desmond asked.

"Ten again," Deepak replied, and as he was about to take the first, he noticed that Desmond's tail was hanging down. "You forgot the tail, Desmond." He told him with a light chuckle.

"Oh, right…" Desmond stretched out his tail and began breathing in and out.

 _It's just for a couple of seconds, but it's working!_ Deepak thought, shutting his eyes, focusing. _Ha-ha! I just needed to take a different approach with him. All I have to do now is have him do yoga until he relaxes completely and gets that thought out of his head._

The two continued, taking on various poses for the next several minutes. With each new pose, Deepak felt how the energy of Desmond's aura steadily became calm, collected.

"Now, lower your front as you raise your hips up again," Deepak said as sweat dripped down from his ears onto the mat, "Touch the mat with your chin, and this time, spread your front legs to the side, slowly." He proceeded to do just that.

Reaching their fifth breath, Desmond turned to Deepak and said, "Exhausting, huh…?" He giggled.

"Uh-huh." Deepak agreed. "By the way, I'm very impressed by your flexibility. The only other dogs I know of that are as flexible, besides me, are mom, Dolly, and Dante."

"Dolly, you say…?" Desmond narrowed his eyes. "She does yoga then…?"

"No." Deepak shook his head. "Though, I wish she'd try it with me." He huffed. "Oh, well." After five more breaths, Deepak rose up and sat on the mat. He took a look at Desmond. "And that's ten. I think that's enough for now. Let's take a break."

Desmond brought his front legs back together and stood up, feeling somewhat relaxed. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and looked at Deepak. "This felt very good… Yoga's great; guess I should do it more often…"

"I'm very glad to hear that!" Deepak replied, tail wagging.

Desmond turned his head to look at the clock. _Only twenty minutes…? Thought more time had passed… Well, I'm not that exhausted… Continue without a break…? Wonder if Deepak will be fine with that...?_ As he watching the clock and was about to turn back to ask, he paused when he noticed that he was letting out rapid and heavy breaths. Desmond looked down at his paws as he felt them shake. _No, no… I'm just exhausted from the yoga, that's all… I'm sure I just need a little rest—_

"W-Why?"

Hearing this, Desmond looked back to Deepak and caught him just as the pup's tail stopped wagging.

"Why?" Deepak took a step back, feeling the aura surrounding Desmond go back to being dismal again. _Is it still there?! That thought?! But he was doing so well up until now! And his aura doesn't lie, so then why?!_ He winced. "Why did it return?! What's wrong, Desmond?!"

"I…" Desmond growled. "I DONT'T KNOW WHY…!" He fell on the mat. "I thought it worked, too, Deepak… I did, damn it…!" He put a paw on his head, rubbing it, then turned to Deepak as he held his head. "Do you have something else I could try…?" He asked as he gasped.

"Something else?" Deepak froze. _But, I have nothing else to offer._

"Well…?!" Desmond glared at him.

Deepak started tapping on the mat with both his paws and averted his eyes from Desmond. _What else am I supposed to do?!_

"Deepak…!" Desmond snarled. He pulled his claws out, puncturing the mat. "Do you have anything else or not…?!"

Deepak jumped back, he grabbed his chest as he felt his lungs tighten. Looking up at Desmond, who now towered over him, and feeling the vile anger and sorrow that seeped out of his aura, made Deepak's stomach turn. When Desmond made a step forward, Deepak's legs sprang, and he dashed to the side, a few meters away from him. _I need to get out of this room!_ He ran to the door.

"Hey, Deepak…! Where are you going…?!" Desmond yelled at him.

Deepak stopped in front of the door and turned around. "Just continue doing yoga. You know how to, don't you?"

Hearing this, Desmond frowned. "That won't help, Deepak…!"

"It will!" Deepak replied as he opened the door in a rush. "Just try it again!" He slammed the door shut.

Desmond stood, staring at the door, trying to comprehend what had happened. He let out a loud bark and slammed his paws onto the floor several times before running up to the exercise ball and kicking it across the room. _WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT…?! WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME LIKE THIS…?! WEREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE HELPING ME…?! WHERE DID YOU RUN OFF TO NOW…?! AAGH…!_

* * *

Deepak backed away from his room until he hit the wall. He hunched over, grabbed his ears tightly, and covered his face with them. _I don't like this! I don't like it at all! What's the matter with him?! And with that aura?!_ He let go of his ears when he felt his mouth filling with saliva and quickly put a paw onto it. Deepak stood like this for a few seconds before removing his paw, putting it down. _It was disgusting! How horrible… But I can't leave him like that! What do I do, what do I do?!_ He shut his eyes. _Arg! I feel so useless!_ Deepak jerked his head up when he felt a paw touch him.

"Hey," Dolly said then wiped away her brother's tears. "What now? What happened this time?"

"I'd like to know as well." Dawkins rubbed one eye as he neared the two, with Da Vinci beside him. "What was that bark just now? Made me fall off my bed." He rubbed his neck and let out a light moan.

Deepak grabbed Dolly's paw, stopping it. He brushed his cheek with his paw and felt the warm liquid on it. _Again?_ Deepak sighed and eyed Dawkins. "Nothing. Nothing happened. I tried everything you suggested but nothing worked."

"Huh?!" Dawkins put his paw down. "Did he fully acknowledge that he needs your help?"

"Yes, and it didn't work," Deepak told him, "I tried yoga, but that, too, didn't work." He then gave it a thought. "Well, that did have an effect. Thought, when we stopped doing it, that awful aura came back again."

"Hold on." Dawkins sat by Deepak's side. "You said yoga worked on him?"

Deepak nodded.

"Why yoga, exactly?" Dawkins asked.

"Well, when I entered my room, Desmond was rolling my exercise ball. He was also staring out the window, at the pups. And they were playing, so I figured that he may just respond better to activity. That's why I decided to try with yoga." Deepak leaned on the wall. "But what do I do now? I have nothing left."

Dawkins stroked Deepak's head. "This is quite unfortunate." He looked at Da Vinci then back to Deepak. "Guess we'll leave mum to handle it then."

Deepak clung to his brother and began to shake.

"Hey, now!" Dawkins flinched a little. "Wha—"

"I want to help him! I really do!" Deepak said through whimpers. "But he scares me!"

"Deepak, Deepak." Da Vinci walked up to him, pulled him away from Dawkins, and hugged him. "What scared you? What did Desmond do?" She began rubbing his back. "Calm down and tell me."

Dolly sat and rose her left ear to listen.

"He didn't do anything to me; it's not what I meant by that." Deepak rested his head onto his sister's chest. "It's just that his aura… I can't stand it! I feel so sick when I'm around it." He started weeping, hot tears running down Da Vinci's fur.

Da Vinci hugged him tighter.

 _Well, there, this proves what I feared._ Dawkins thought as he watched Deepak. _I wasn't helpful at all. Even worse, I believe I might have put too much pressure on Deepak; expecting him to deal with this on his own._ He pressed his paws hard onto the floor. _Yet, why do I feel like this: frustrated?_ _What are you getting so angry for? Come to terms with this, Dawkins!_ He kicked the wall with his hind leg, getting Dolly to look at him.

"Whoa, Dawkins," Dolly said as she jumped up, "What was that about?"

"I'm a little flustered. Don't mind me," Dawkins replied. He turned his head to Deepak and saw Da Vinci, staring back at him with a pleading look. _'Help somehow'; I know that's what you're asking of me, right, Da Vinci?_ Dawkins thought and walked to her. "I want to talk to him."

Da Vinci lifted Deepak's head then softly stroked his cheek.

Deepak put his paws onto his face, rubbing it, wiping off the tears. "Yeah, yeah. I heard him." He let go of his sister and turned to Dawkins.

"I don't want to bother you anymore with this, Deepak," Dawkins told him, "However," He put his paw onto Deepak's head. "Can you help me with this just a little more?"

"I think I know what's going on with Desmond," Deepak said, "When I went back, I told him that I was giving up on him."

"You were going to leave him?" Dawkins cooked his head, surprised.

"I wasn't actually going to," Deepak stated with a firm tone, "I did it to see if he cared to get better or not. He did; a lot at that. We talked a little, and he mentioned his home." He put a paw onto his chest. "Desmond's homesick, I think."

Da Vinci walked behind him. "Homesick, Deepak?"

Deepak nodded.

"Hmm?" Da Vinci started thinking.

Dolly turned to her. "What? Remember something?"

"Didn't Dylan tell you?" Da Vinci asked them.

"Tell us what?" Dawkins said.

"Yesterday, when Dylan and I were checking on him, Desmond told us that he was quite nervous when he moved in. Although, he said he was more used to it by now." Da Vinci rubbed her front leg. "Guess he's still anxious about it."

"Understandable," Dawkins said, "Desmond's yet to adjust to living here." He then gave it a quick thought. "It's possible that the trauma might have magnified his anxiety." Dawkins removed his paw off of Deepak. "Now, question is: how do we get rid of this homesickness?"

Deepak jolted his head up. "Yeah, I tried doing the same."

"Hey, I have an idea!" Dolly told them, dragging their attention to her. "Let's get him out to play."

Dawkins leered at her. "Come again?"

Dolly sat. "Des reacts best to action, right, Deepak?"

"Well, the yoga confirms that, I guess," Deepak replied.

"Sure, it didn't work with yoga, but what if we took the action part of it and stepped it up a notch?" Dolly said.

"What do you mean?" Deepak asked.

"Des jogs a lot. Also, back when we played '500', he was very into the game." Dolly jumped back onto her paws. "In yoga, ya just stretch a lot, don't ya? Des needs more than that, so I think sports would work better for him."

Deepak turned to Dawkins. "Think that will work?"

Dawkins scratched his head then exhaled. "I wasn't paying much attention back then, but I suppose he seemed quite enthusiastic about it. Fine. We have nothing to lose, anyway." He tapped Deepak's back. "Go get Desmond. We're going to the backyard."

Deepak walked to his door but paused before opening it. He shivered, remembering the dreadful aura that awaited him in the room.

"Deepak?" Da Vinci said, a little concerned.

"Give me a second," Deepak replied. _Don't get scared again. Just walk in. Come on!_

* * *

_Why did you leave me like that…?_ Desmond thought as he laid on the floor. _'Just continue doing yoga'… Why make me do it again when you know it won't work…? Do you even know what you're doing anymore…?_ He snorted out.

_Trust me, I'm sure Deepak will be able to help…_

_I'm telling you, give Deepak a chance…!_

_Even if you aren't sick from anything serious, I recommend that you have a session with him…_

_Give him a chance to help…?_ Desmond frowned. _Thus far, he's done nothing but failed at that… I knew I shouldn't have listened to them…! Like always, I'll just take care of myself… I don't need help from them…! Let alone an eleven-year-old pup, who's just wasting my—_

"Desmond?"

Desmond spun his head back to see Deepak, peeking his head through the door.

"You aren't doing yoga? Well, alright. That's fine." Deepak entered and closed the door. He began walking towards Desmond as he looked around the room. He noticed that his exercise ball was at the other end of the room. _Huh?! Weird._ _How did it—_ His legs stiffened and his fur stood up as he felt the aversion in the air surrounding him. Deepak moved his attention back to Desmond just to see the narrowed, cold eyes that glared back at him. He stopped in place. "W-What?" He asked with a trembling voice.

"Nothing…" Desmond turned away from him.

Deepak continued moving, but instead directly towards him, the pup stuck closer to the walls, making his way around Desmond and sat in front of him. "Hey, umm, I'm sorry that I left you like that; I really am. And, also, I know you're angry right now; I understand why you would be. But, please let me try one more thing. This time it might work!"

Desmond stood up and look down at the pup. "Deepak... You tried your best despite failing in the end…"

Deepak pinned his ears to the side of his head. "I know. I'm sorry—"

"Thank you…" Desmond said.

Deepak perked his ears up. "No, please. Don't thank me. I couldn't—"

"For wasting my time…" Desmond spun around and headed for the door.

Deepak froze upon hearing this. It took him a couple of seconds to pull himself back, then he immediately darted after Desmond. "Wait! Where are you going?! You aren't leaving, are you?!"

Desmond didn't reply, he only continued walking forward.

Deepak jumped between him and the door. "Desmond! Look, I know you're mad, but believe me, the only thing on my mind is your health. So please, stay, and I know we'll find a way to—"

Desmond put his paw onto Deepak's side and pushed him away from the door. He bit the handle and burst the door open.

Everyone in the hallway jumped.

"Desmond?!" Da Vinci fixed her eyes on him.

"Whoa, Des!" Dolly began walking next to him. "What happened? Ya almost broke the door there?" Dolly got taken aback when he didn't respond. "Des? Hey, Des? Why aren't you speaking to me?"

"Leave me, Dolly…" Desmond stared her down, getting her to flinch.

"What the hell's going on?" Dawkins scratched his head, then looked at Deepak, who ran out of the room. "What happened in there? Why is he that mad?"

"I think he's mad at me, but that doesn't matter now!" Deepak said, hastily. "He's leaving, Dawkins!"

"What?!" Dawkins quickly rushed after Desmond. _I said I'd keep him here until mum comes home! I can't let him leave the house now!_ He ran past Desmond just before he could reach the staircase. "Stop, Desmond!"

Desmond paused and glowered at Dawkins.

Looking him in the eyes, Dawkins understood that Desmond wouldn't just stay put if he asked him. _How do I make him stay?!_ _He won't listen to me._ He then saw Desmond lift his front leg. He anticipated what Desmond was about to do and said, "Wait! Listen to what I have to say!"

Desmond paused for a second.

 _At least I might get him to stay longer if I offer him this._ Dawkins looked behind himself for a moment then back to Desmond. "You what to go home? It's not like we can stop you, but let me tell you this. Allow me to try one last thing, Desmond. Then if it doesn't work," Dawkins moved away from the staircase. "You're free to go."

Desmond pondered on this. He sat down, rubbed his forehead, and let out a loud snarl. "What do you want me to do…?"

Dawkins looked to his sisters and brother; with a twitch of his head, he gestured for them to follow. He then began walking down the stairs. "Come with me to the backyard. I'll tell you there."

Desmond followed after him; the others weren't far behind, as they all proceeded towards the backyard.


	21. Peace of Mind, Part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Attention: Lengthy chapter ahead.
> 
> [Chapter Cover](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/6a4adea5-ce0f-4750-879c-8c100f181705/de8ihou-8bd77cfc-fcf5-45e5-ac33-ceb7ffcc0f83.png/v1/fill/w_1063,h_752,q_70,strp/peace_of_mind__part_4_by_valo_son_de8ihou-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD05MDYiLCJwYXRoIjoiXC9mXC82YTRhZGVhNS1jZTBmLTQ3NTAtODc5Yy04YzEwMGYxODE3MDVcL2RlOGlob3UtOGJkNzdjZmMtZmNmNS00NWU1LWFjMzMtY2ViN2ZmY2MwZjgzLnBuZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD0xMjgwIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.hiVNSsWl4g3AopflkvF1Hr1k_-9j14qRZ53sNUkKsKA)

Tapping the grass with his paw, Dylan was sitting in the backyard, staring at the house, pondering. As he did, he felt a pull on his tail. He spun his head, seeing a pup, who let go of it. "Yeah, Domino?"

"Big bro, what are you doing?" Domino asked.

Dylan looked at himself then back to the pup. "Sitting." He smirked.

Domino walked next to him and sat by his side. "You usually walk around the backyard, stomping." He began to stomp on the ground with his front legs. "Thump, thump, thump. Like this."

Dylan frowned slightly.

"And you tell us to not do some things," He added.

"Your point?" Dylan raised a brow.

"You aren't doing that now?"

Dylan cocked his head a little. He then quickly jumped on his paws. "How long have I been sitting here like this?!"

The pup gave it a thought. "A while."

Dylan started looking around the backyard, fixing his eyes onto the pups, searching for any kind of problems. He exhaled in relief, finding everything to be fine. He turned to Domino again. "Did anything bad happen?"

Domino gave it another thought. "I don't think so."

Dylan rubbed his forehead. _I shouldn't get distracted like this. Watch over the pups, Dylan._ He patted Domino on the head. "Thanks. Go back to playing now."

Domino twitched his ear. "But, I don't want to."

"Why's that?" Dylan said.

Domino shrugged. "Can I stay with you?"

Dylan smiled. "Want to help me keep track of your brothers and sisters?"

Domino nodded. "I haven't played this game before."

Dylan giggled. "It's not really a game, you know."

"Sure it is!" Domino hopped. "You and Dolly do it all the time."

"If only she were more serious about it," Dylan murmured. "Alright then. All you have to do is look around and tell me if something bad happens, okay?"

"So we're searching for trouble?" Domino wagged his tail. "We're patrolling!"

"Uh-huh." Dylan turned his head and saw that there were fewer pups playing behind him, closer to the house. He turned back to Domino. "We'll split the backyard into two areas; the one behind me and the one behind you. You take the one behind me, alright?"

Domino puffed out his chest. "Roger that, sir!" Then walked past his brother, stomping on the ground as he did. "Thump, thump, thump, thump."

 _Humph. I don't stomp like that._ Dylan thought, making his way toward the other side of the backyard. _I don't stomp at all, in fa—_

"BIG BRO, BIG BRO!" Domino ran back to him.

Dylan looked down at him. "What is it?"

"Something bad happened, I think," The pup said with concern and pointed toward the backyard's entrance.

Dylan turned and saw Dawkins, with Desmond behind him, exiting the house. Dolly, Da Vinci, and Deepak were quick to enter the backyard as well.

Dylan grinned, tail wagging. Upon a closer look, however, his smile vanished and his eyes narrowed, tail stopping in place, as he noticed the dogs' solemn expressions. He made his way toward them, with Dawkins in his focus. "Wha—"

Dawkins raised his paw at him. "Wait a minute."

Dylan paused for a second, a little confused, but moved to the side, letting the dogs pass. Following Desmond with his eyes, Dylan took notice of the dog's hunched posture and angry look as he passed by him. He watched as Dawkins sat in front of Desmond and began talking to him. Staring at the two, Dylan turned when he got tapped on the side.

"He's a little mad, is all," Dolly told him. "But we'll be trying something else."

"Mad?" Dylan looked at Desmond, then down to Deepak. "Did it not work again?"

"Sorry." Deepak hung his head.

"Deepak, enough." Dolly caressed his head. "We'll get Des feeling better in no time, you'll see."

Da Vinci put her paw through her bandana as she turned her eyes to the side.

Noticing this, Dylan walked to her and rubbed her on the shoulder. "You feeling alright, Da Vinci?"

Da Vinci glanced at him for a second. "I'm just a little overwhelmed."

Dylan furrowed his brows upon hearing this. He put his paw on top of hers and stroked it gently. He then turned to Dolly. "What do you have in mind?"

"We—"

"Well?" Dawkins said.

Dolly spun her head toward him. "Oh! Uh, what did he say?"

Dawkins twitched his head back. "Look for yourself."

Dolly looked behind Dawkins only to meet Desmond's cold glare. She averted her eyes. "Gee, he didn't like it, did he?"

"Right you are." Dawkins sat down. "You suggested we get him out, you choose what game he'll play."

Dolly nodded then looked at Dylan. "Guess you'll have to wait and see."

Dawkins took a look at Desmond and saw him let out a loud snort. "Hurry. He's getting impatient."

"Give me a second." Dolly darted toward a big cardboard box located near the entrance of the backyard, holding her right ear with a paw. There, she began rummaging in it, pushing toys and balls aside. "Where is it, where is it?" Her left ear perked when her paws touched a rope. Dolly pulled it out, putting it in her mouth, and sprinted back to the others.

Dawkins raised his brows, surprised. "A skipping rope?"

"Tug o' war," Dolly told him.

Dawkins turned to Dylan. "Tell the pups to stay aside." He then gestured with his paw for Dolly to follow him.

"Attention, everyone!" Dylan yelled out to the pups.

They instantly stopped playing and turned their attention to him.

"Gather around!" Dylan yelled.

The pups looked at each other, puzzled, and made their way toward him. They surrounded the three dogs. "Yes?" All asked in unison.

"I want all of you to keep your distance from Desmond and not disturb him," Dylan told them.

"Why?" One of the pups asked.

"We'll be helping him get better, but he'll need some space for that, okay?" Dylan replied.

All of the pups nodded and sat, staring at Dolly, Dawkins, and Desmond.

Deepak moved over to Da Vinci and leaned on her.

She put her paw on his back.

Approaching him, Dawkins sat in front of Desmond, while Dolly stood a step back.

"The game is tug of war. Hope you're okay with that," Dawkins said.

Desmond glanced at the skipping rope and tsked. "Fine…"

 _Tug of war? How will that help, though?_ Dylan pondered as he watched Dolly put down the rope. _I'm not all that sure what Dolly's thinking, nor do I understand it, but…_ He looked at Da Vinci and Deepak. _I don't feel right just watching from the side._ He nudged Da Vinci. "I'll go see if I can help in some way. Can I have you watch over the pups and Deepak?"

"Sure," She muttered out.

Dylan scurried over to Dolly and Dawkins. Reaching them, he walked between the two. "Can I play, too?"

Dolly threw him a puzzled look. "You, bro?"

Dawkins put his paw through Dylan's collar and pulled him to the side. "Listen, Dylan, I don't know if you've noticed, but Desmond isn't in the best mood right now," He whispered. "I barely got him to agree to do this. Adding you will most likely get him to leave right away."

"Leave?" Dylan whispered, glancing at Desmond. "Why would he?"

"I," Dawkins paused for a moment.

Dylan felt the paw Dawkins stuck through his collar shake slightly.

"I suppose it's because we couldn't do anything about his condition," Dawkins whispered as he dropped his ears. He pulled his paw back down, letting go of Dylan. He gave it a quick thought. "Then again, you might buy us more time." Dawkins felt sweat run down his neck. "I'm a little scared to ask, however."

Dylan tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"If I tell him I'll be adding you, he might leave, as I said. That's out of the question." Dawkins frowned. "Mum assigned me to keep him here until she comes back, and at least," He sighed. "at least I can do that if nothing else."

"Hey!" Dolly walked up to them. "C'mon, we starting or what?"

Dawkins took in a breath, held it for a few seconds, and let it out. He turned and walked up to Desmond. He raised his head, looking Desmond right in the eyes. "Do you mind if Dylan plays as well?" After asking this, Dawkins froze, mouth tightly shut, awaiting Desmond to reply.

Desmond lifted his right front leg and moved it forward.

Dawkins' heart skipped a beat as the fur on his neck stood up.

Desmond motioned with his paw for him to proceed.

Dawkins spun back and let out a small gasp of relief. He held his chest with a paw as he passed by Dylan and Dolly. "Start," He told them in a low tone and walked toward the pups. There, he sat next to Da Vinci and began rubbing his forehead.

 _What's been going on with you?_ Dylan thought as he frowned in concern, eyes fixed on Dawkins.

Dolly dug her paw in the dirt and drew a line between her and Desmond. She walked up to him and gave him one end of the skipping rope, which he took in his mouth, and took the other one in her mouth. But as she moved back to the other side of the line, Dylan stopped her.

"Mind if I go first?" Dylan asked.

Dolly spat the rope in her paw and pushed it into his mouth, then slapped him on the back. "Give it your all!"

"OW!" Dylan barked out, rubbing his back.

Dolly giggled as she moved to the side. She lifted her right front leg off the ground. "Jaws tight around the rope."

Dylan and Desmond bit hard on the rope, but as Dylan set his paws firmly on the ground, Desmond continued sitting down, slightly hunched.

Dolly extended her paw forward. "Steady."

Dylan and Desmond stretched the rope, putting strain on it.

Dolly held her paw up for a couple of seconds then slammed it hard on the ground. "PULL!"

At once, Dylan pressed his legs down and jerked his head back, pulling the rope at a rapid pace. Moving backward, he made two steps before his head got yanked forward. _What the?!_ Dylan focused on Desmond, seeing that he was still sitting. The only thing that seemed to have budged was Desmond's head, which was now leaning forward. _So heavy._ Dylan thought as he tried pushing back with his legs to no avail.

"C'mon, bro! Pull harder!" Dolly slammed her paws on the ground. "Put in more effort! You can do it!"

Dylan tried forcing his head back again, but as he did, he immediately felt pain cut through his neck as it was under high stress. Dylan gave up on this right away.

Dolly watched as her brother struggled to pull while Desmond just stood, barely trying. _I don't get it. Isn't this what he likes? I was sure he'd get right into it, so why then—_ She paused, seeing Desmond slightly extend his front legs.

Dylan felt his body get pulled forth.

Slowly, Desmond began to raise his head, pulling Dylan forward. He stood up and started walking backward.

Dylan dug his paws in the dirt, straining his legs against the ground, trying to stop himself from moving, but his body kept getting dragged toward the line.

"Dylan, what are you doing?!" Dolly yelled. "PULL, PULL, PULL!"

Dylan put all his strength into leaning his upper body back, trying to put more weight into his core. Sweat gushed out, running down his entire body. He felt his legs burn as soreness began to ensue.

"Ooh!" The pups stared, amazed, not taking their eyes off the two dogs.

No matter how much he struggled, Dylan could do nothing as he got pulled past the line; first his head, then the rest of his body followed until he found himself on the other side of it.

"B-But that's not…" Dawkins watched, astounded. _This quick?! I didn't think it would end this fast!_

Dylan spat out the rope in haste and began panting, heart beating fiercely. He stood, wiping his face off of sweat.

"What was that, Dylan?!" Dolly said, striding over to him. "Couldn't you have lasted longer?"

Dylan frowned at her. "And what… was I… supposed to do?!" He said through gasps. "Do I look like a lorry to you?!" He coughed out.

"Did you even put your back into it?" Dolly asked.

Dylan sat and spread his front legs, sweat dripping down from them. "I'm drenched!"

"Maybe if you had spent more time playing with everyone instead of scolding them all the time, you would've built more endurance and muscle!" Dolly huffed. She then took a glance at Desmond and let out a heavy sigh. "Okay, okay," She wiped some sweat off of Dylan's ears. "you did well. Go signal the next match."

"Tch!" Dylan rubbed his jaw, feeling it a little sore. "Think you can take him on?"

Dolly made a cocky smile. "Sure I can." She picked the rope up and put it in her mouth. "Let me show ya how it's done."

Dylan walked to the side, sat, and raised his paw.

Dolly got into position, as did Desmond. Right as she was about to nod to Dylan, however, she felt her right ear sting. "Wait, wait!" She took the rope out of her mouth.

"What?" Dylan said, lowering his paw.

"Let me go in real quick." She put the rope down. "Just a moment, Des," She told him then ran into the house.

Desmond snorted out, watching her. He spun his head toward Dylan, leering at him.

"It'll take a second, I'm sure," Dylan said with an anxious grin.

Less than a minute later, Dolly emerged from the house, with a black headband wrapped around her head, fixing her injured ear in place. She shook her head, side to side. _Sure hurts less now._ Dolly made her way toward Dylan and Desmond, but as she passed by the pups, some of them started to chuckle at her.

"What?!" Dolly threw them a glare. "Something funny?"

The pups shut their mouths and shook their heads.

"Good." She continued.

"Dolly." Dawkins stopped her and pulled her head down. "Can you prolong this as much as possible?" He whispered. "With this pace, I don't think Desmond will be sticking around for long."

Dolly gave him an odd look. "Don't worry, I'll get Des excited enough to keep him playing till nightfall," She assured him. "Heh. I'm not Dylan. My fangs aren't only for show, you know." She patted his head and hopped her way to the rope. "And you stop worrying so much, bro."

Dawkins scratched the back of his neck as he walked back to Da Vinci and Deepak. _I envy her cool attitude._

"Yo, D1," D3 said as he eyed Dolly. "Who ya bettin' on?"

"Our tall friend over there," D1 replied.

"Tower-dog, eh?" D3 smirked.

"I think Dolly's got a chance," D2 told them.

D.J. nodded.

"Yeah," Delgado said. "A way better one than Dylan, at that." He felt the ground under his paws push up, and out came Diesel's head.

"Hey, hey! Why's everyone gathered like this?" Diesel shook his head off of dirt. "What's going on?"

"A competition," Delgado told him, then grabbed his head with his paws, holding him firmly. "You just make sure you don't get in the way. Dylan's orders."

"Alrighty, Des." Dolly began hopping in place as she started cracking her neck. She spat on the ground, getting some of the pups to giggle, and landed down with a thud. Dolly then picked the rope and threw it into the air, catching it with her mouth when it fell. "BRING IT!"

"Steady," Dylan said, paw extended forward.

Dolly and Desmond stretched the rope taut.

Dylan slammed his paw down. "PULL!"

Bending her legs, Dolly began making fast, heavy steps backward. Similarly to Dylan, she pulled Desmond's head forth. However, unlike him, she managed to lift her head up, and with a swift pull to the side, break Desmond's balance.

Desmond quickly stretched out his front legs, catching himself from falling. He propped himself on them and regained his footing.

 _See that?! Nothing to it!_ Dolly thought as she started pulling even harder, putting power into every step as she moved back.

Desmond's body got forced forward. Slowly, it began getting dragged on the ground toward the line.

Dylan stood astonished, gawking at the two dogs. _She's actually doing it?!_

"Well, well, well. Would you look at that," D1 said, surprised.

"Ha-ha! What did I tell you?!" Delgado stared in awe.

"DOLLY! DOLLY! DOLLY!" Dizzy and Dee Dee shouted in unison.

As she pulled, Dolly's body began trembling from all the tension she was putting on it. _But geez! I can't believe he weighs so much. No wonder Dylan had such a hard time._ She stopped for a short break but made sure to keep a firm hold on the rope.

Desmond used this opportunity to try and pull his head back but the solid hold of Dolly didn't allow him to do so.

"Oh-ho-ho! She has him locked in place!" D3 wrapped a paw around D1.

Dawkins focused on Dolly's shaking body, noticing that she had begun to sweat. "Indeed, but I fear that she's straining every muscle in her body just to keep him like that."

"Sure. But Dolly just needs to keep this up and pull him over to her side," Delgado said, tail wagging. "No big deal for—"

The sound of a loud stamp reverberated around the backyard. Everyone gazed at the two dogs; Desmond had plunged one of his hind legs into the ground. He raised his pelvis entirely, and with the other leg, made a step back.

Dolly started getting dragged on her paws toward the line.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Dolly uttered through her teeth. She thrust her legs into the dirt, stopping herself from moving. She let out a grunt as pain struck her limbs.

Dawkins began biting his claws as he watched her struggle. He stopped, however, when he felt a push from behind. Turning back to look, his eyes widened for an instant upon seeing who stood behind. "This is certainly surprising," Dawkins said as he still held his claws on his teeth.

"What got you so worried?" The dog behind him asked. "And what are they doing over there?"

"Oh." Dawkins removed his claws from his teeth. "Well, you see…"

"Don't overdo it, Dolly!" Dylan told her. "If it's too much, just let go of the rope!"

"And lose?! As if!" Dolly pushed her paws harder into the dirt and squeezed her eyes shut as she began breathing rapidly through her nostrils. As she fought against the pull, Dolly felt her jaw, along with her legs, light. The tension had ceased. Confused by this sudden sensation, she opened an eye to look. Her other eye snapped open when she saw that Desmond had closed the distance between them.

With a swift motion, Desmond tugged the rope hard and dashed backward.

Unable to process this in time, Dolly flew forth and crashed on the ground, then proceeded to get dragged past the line.

"Oi, oi! Ya serious?!" D3 scratched his head.

D.J. pulled his headphones down and gave a long whistle of surprise.

"Dolly lost?" Dizzy and Dee Dee said as their ears dropped.

"Come on! She was so close!" Delgado let go of Diesel's head and slammed his paws down. "If only she were faster!"

"So that's how it is then," The dog said, taking a look at Desmond. "Fine. I'll play with him." He walked past Dawkins.

D1 jump when he saw a dark figure stepping out of the puppy crowd. "Wait." He spun his head toward the house, then back to the figure. "He's out?!"

"Who's ou—" D2 paused, noticing the white spots that enveloped the dark figure's fur.

Deepak felt Da Vinci's aura flicker and turned his eyes at her. At once, he drew attention to the purple tip of the tail that hung from the figure's back, which got him to stand up.

"HE'S OUT, HE'S OUT, HE'S OUT!" The pups yelled as their tail began to wag.

Dolly sprang up on her paws and spat out the rope. "Did you just?!" She eyed Desmond, frowning at him. "That was cheap!"

Desmond stared at her with dull eyes for a brief moment before dropping his head down and sitting back on the grass.

Dolly got taken aback by this. "Oh, wait, wait now! We're not done yet! I can still keep going!" She spun, darting back to her place only to bump into someone. "Ahh!" She took a step back and rubbed her muzzle. "Dylan, what are yo—" Her eyes widened when she saw the distinguishable metal spikes protruding from the collar of the dog that stood before her.

"Sorry," He said, leaning his head down to pick up the rope with his mouth.

Dolly turned to the side, seeing Dylan, waving at her with a paw. She ran up to him.

"Did you tell him to come out?" Dylan asked.

"No," Dolly replied. "He just," She watched him take her spot. "popped up out of nowhere."

Desmond dug his paw into the dirt and began to spin it lightly. _Should I… call the Boss…? Tell her I can't do it…_ His body shivered, getting him to almost drop the rope. _Maybe she'll find someone else to do this… I'm sure I can find another way to—_ He stumbled when his head got yanked by the rope. Desmond blinked, then shifted his focus off the grass. He shuddered upon seeing who held the other end of the rope.

"Well," Dante said, "what's the hold-up?"

Taking a step forward, D3 tilted his head. "Dante. Out? During the day?!"

Da Vinci looked over to Dawkins. "How long has it been?"

"Quite a while," Dawkins stated. _What are you up to, Dante?_

Dolly loped over to Dante. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't worry about that, just start the match," Dante told her.

Dolly frowned slightly. "What do you mean, 'Don't worry about that'? You come out of the blue, and you aren't gonna tell me why?"

"Dolly. Start the match," Dante said, this time with a firmer tone. "You go get some rest."

Dolly noticed that Dante had begun to grind his teeth, his eyes were narrow, and his muzzle was wrinkling up. "Uh, alright," She said before running back to Dylan. She leaned to him and whispered, "Does Dante seem, kind of, irritated to you?"

"Is he?" Dylan raised a brow and looked at Dante. "Hard to tell from here. Anyway, is he playing?"

Dolly raised her front leg. "Guess so." She extended her paw forward. "Steady!"

Dante and Desmond stretched the rope, though Desmond's end of the rope nearly slipped out of his mouth due to the amount of force Dante exerted.

Dolly slammed her paw down. "PULL!"

Tugging with blistering speed, Dante flung his head to the side, causing Desmond's body to leap forward. A thundering sound boomed as Desmond collided with the ground. Dante then continued by pulling him past the line.

Everyone stood frozen, stunned.

The pups took a couple of seconds to realize what had happened before they shook their heads and yelled, "WOOOOOW!"

Dante sat down and smirked. _There. Think I feel better now._ He breathed out.

"Did you see that?!" Dolly nudged Dylan.

"I heard that." Dylan rubbed his ears. "My ears are still ringing from it. Sheesh!" He drew attention toward Desmond, taking a closer look at him. _Why isn't he getting up?_ He let go of his ears. "Desmond?" Dylan called out, but the dog didn't respond. "H-Hey. Hey!" He began approaching him with a hurried pace. "Desmond!"

"Huh?" Dolly followed after her brother.

Dylan put a paw on Desmond's back and shook him lightly. "Desmond!"

Dolly walked in front of Desmond and bent down. Seeing his eyes shut, she thought, _Uh-oh. Did he faint again?!_ Dolly started to lightly slap his cheek with a paw. "Des?! Des, open your eyes. Come on!"

"Ugh!" Desmond grunted out as he cracked open his eyes.

Dylan and Dolly stepped back.

The rope fell out of Desmond's mouth as he slowly began to stand himself on his legs. He stumbled backward and fell on his backside. Desmond shook his head; he raised one ear, then the other. His eyes focused on Dylan, then Dolly; they darted to the pups; then Da Vinci, Dawkins, and Deepak; until finally stopping on Dante.

"Are you alright?" Dylan asked him.

As he gazed at Dante, Desmond's right eyelid twitched. "Again."

"Say what now?" Dolly cocked her head.

"Again?" Dylan made a step toward Desmond. "Again, what? What do you mean by that?"

Desmond rose up. "Again, Dante!" He said with a low growl.

Dante pulled his head back a little, confused. "Huh?"

"Just now, did he?" Dawkins mumbled to himself, eyes fixed on Desmond.

Desmond bent down and bit the rope with a snap. He turned around and moved back to his spot; all four paws, now, planted firmly on the ground.

"Hold on, Desmond," Dylan said. "If you're hur—"

"Did you notice?" Dolly tugged him by his collar.

"What?" Dylan said.

"His voice," Dolly pointed at him. "Just now, his voice didn't sound weird at all."

Dylan's ears jumped. "Ah, yeah!" He rubbed his cheek. "But I'm not sure. You saw how he stumbled and fell when he got up. What if he got hurt?"

Dolly glanced over to Desmond and saw his rigid stance. "He seems okay to me. In fact, by the looks of it, Des seems pretty eager to have another shot at Dante right now, don't you think?"

"Sure, but—"

"Listen, Dylan," Dolly pulled him closer to her. "we took him out exactly to do that. To get him eager. To get him excited. So just let him continue. Don't worry, Des is fine."

"I, uh." Dylan spun his head and looked at Dawkins.

Dawkins locked eyes with him.

Dylan made a slight twitch with his head toward Desmond.

Dawkins raised a paw and began waving with it as he mouthed, 'Go on.'

"Umm." Dylan turned back to Dolly. "Okay. If Dawkins is also fine with it. Okay then."

Dolly turned to Dante. "You don't mind, do you, bro?!"

Dante just shrugged.

Dolly pushed Dylan back to their spots on the side. "Round two, everybody! We're making this a two out of three!" She yelled out.

"YEAAAH!" The pups shouted and began to hop from one paw to the other.

"Alright, you two! Ya ready?!" Dolly turned to Desmond, then Dante. "Eh?" She uttered, surprised.

Dante had assumed Desmond's previous posture—sat and hunched. He let out a heavy sigh and turned his eyes to the side.

Desmond scowled and let out a snarl. _Is he freaking mocking me?!_

"Oh, well. Steady!" Dolly slammed her paw down. "PULL!"

The instant she said this, Dante felt as if his neck was about to snap off his torso as he plummeted to the ground with a bang.

Desmond began walking backward sideways, dragging Dante's body past the line.

Dante huffed and quickly rose back up. As he did, a sharp pain struck his neck, making him pause in place. He twisted his head, causing his neck to make a loud pop. "Ugh!" He snarled out. Dante then glared at Desmond, noticing that his pupils had shrunk. _Rile you up, did I?_ He stomped his way back to his side. "Start the next round," He told Dylan and Dolly.

Dolly chuckled. "Did you see how he shrugged it off?" She tapped Dylan on the side.

Dylan rubbed his paw. "Y-Yeah. Hope it's just that."

"Deepak." Dawkins stood up.

Deepak turned to him. "Yeah?"

"May I ask something of you?" Dawkins said.

"Sure," Deepak replied.

"Then come." Dawkins headed toward Dylan and Dolly, with Deepak not far behind.

Da Vinci paid them no attention as she couldn't take her eyes off of Dante and Desmond.

Deepak caught up to his brother. "What do you want me to do?"

"While they pull on the rope, I want you to tell me what you feel from Desmond's aura," Dawkins told him. "Shouldn't be a problem for you, right?"

Deepak shook his head.

Diesel twitched his nose while he watching Dawkins and Deepak approach Dylan and Dolly. _Hee-hee. Dig, dig, dig, yeah._ He smirked to himself.

"Dylan, Dolly. Mind if we stay here? I need Deepak to check on Desmond's aura," Dawkins told them.

Dylan looked over to the pups. "Well, okay, if it's only the two of you."

"You saw that?" Dolly wrapped her paw around Dawkins' neck. "You heard him, too, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I did." Dawkins removed her paw. "I'll just take that as a 'yes' then." He turned to Deepak. "Now, can you do it from here?"

Deepak focused. "No, not really. It's not very clear." He frowned. "Dante's aura is mingling with Desmond's."

"Get closer," Dawkins said.

"But not too close," Dylan added. "The way they've been going at it for the last two rounds has gotten me a little worried."

"They just fell on the ground, big deal." Dolly raised her paw.

Deepak took a step closer.

* * *

Delgado brought his paws back together. They slammed into each other and fell. He jerked his head down and saw them dangling off the edge of a hole. "Huh?!" He pulled his paws out and stuck his head in it. "Diesel! Get back here! You hear?! Diesel!"

Delgado peered through the darkness for a short while, trying to find his brother. He pulled his head out when Diesel didn't return. He began looking around and caught Diesel standing behind Dylan and Dolly. "Geez," Delgado marched his way toward him. "his ears must be stuffed with dirt."

A pup began following after him.

"Hey, where are you going?" Another pup asked.

He stopped. "With big bro. Duh."

"You can't. We have to stay here," She told him.

"Then why did Dawkins and Deepak go there, too?" He pointed at them.

"Yeah? Then why?" The other pups asked.

"Because," She rubbed her nose, thinking. "because, because… Umm."

"Because it's allowed now!" He answered with a smile.

"I… guess?" She scratched her leg.

He went after Delgado again, and the rest of the pups followed suit.

"H-Hey! Wait for me, too!" She ran after them.

"PULL!" Dolly yelled, slamming her paw down.

Simultaneously, both Dante and Desmond raised their right front leg and thrust it into the ground, pushing themselves back. The rope shook and began to tremble.

Dante hauled Desmond, drawing him closer to the line.

Desmond shoved his paws in the dirt and came to a stop. He bit down on the rope harder and lumbered back, striking the ground with heavy steps.

Nearly getting tugged past the line, Dante did as Desmond and drove his paws in the ground, as well. He lowered his head, and with firm steps, tugged backward, pulling Desmond back to his initial position.

As the two dogs repeated this several more times, muddy trails started forming underneath them. Eventually, they found themselves in a deadlock. Dante and Desmond flung their heads in every direction; bent down, rose up; loosened their hold on the rope to then pull it with a jerk, but always ended up in the same situation.

Diesel peeked at the two dogs from behind Dolly, tail wagging. He turned his head to the side when he felt a poke.

"Buddy, what are you doing here?" Delgado said in a low voice.

"I wanna watch from here," Diesel replied. "Don't you?"

Delgado slammed his paw on Diesel's mouth and jolted his head at the dogs in front of him; he saw that they still had their backs turned toward him and Diesel. "Lower your voice, dude. You want Dylan to chew us out?" He removed his paw from his brother's mouth. "C'mon. Let's go back before they've noticed us."

Turning around, Delgado nearly yelped when he saw several pups sitting in front of him. "Wha?!" He spun his head to the left and right, seeing that more of his siblings had surrounded him and Diesel. "H-Hold on! Who told you guys you could come?!"

Dylan's ears perked up. He turned his head back and jumped. "What are you?! When did you?!" He glanced at Da Vinci, seeing that she stood all by herself.

Dolly spun her head upon hearing Dylan, as did Dawkins.

"Didn't I tell you to keep your distance?!" Dylan said, glaring at his brothers and sisters.

"I, uh—It's not my fault, just so you know!" Delgado stated.

"Heh-Hey!" Dolly's tail began wagging as she watched her siblings gather around Dante and Desmond. "Check it out! With the pups encircling them like this, it's like a mini arena now, ha-ha!"

Dylan frowned at her. "No, Dolly, this is not—"

"ALRIGHT, PUPPIES, I WANNA HEAR YOUR VOICES!" Dolly shouted. "WHO'S YOUR CHAMPION?!"

"DANTE! DANTE! DANTE! DANTE! DANTE!" The pups began shouting.

"As longs as they don't distract Deepak with their yelling," Dawkins said.

"Oh, no, no. I actually enjoy the sudden positive aura surrounding us," Deepak said with an anxious smile, his body shaking.

Dawkins threw him an odd look. "Are you alright?"

Deepak nodded. "It's just that," He recoiled slightly, turning his attention back to Dante and Desmond. "their auras are boiling," He told Dawkins, voice trembling.

Both Dante and Desmond found themselves drenched in sweat. Their hastened, heavy breaths appeared almost like hazes, spurting out of the two dogs' mouths and nostrils.

"Come on, now! It ain't fun cheering only for one side!" Dolly yelled. "CAN I HAVE HALF OF YOU CHEER FOR DES, TOO?!"

"DESMOND! DESMOND! DESMOND!" The Dimitris started shouting, as did the other half of the pups.

"Isn't this exciting?!" Dolly turned to Dylan, grinning.

Dylan ignored her as he was more concerned with the pups. "Everyone, I want all of you to go back to Da Vinci!"

The pups continued cheering on, disregarding him.

"Hey! Do you hear me?! Go back to Da Vinci! Please!" Dylan yelled at his siblings, but none reacted. Dylan held his head. "Oh, my dog. Alright, alright, fine! Stay, but keep a minimum distance of two meters from those two! Got it!"

The pups took a couple of steps back as they kept on cheering.

"At least they listened to that." Dylan sighed. "Good dog, they're getting harder to control with each passing year, I swear."

Dolly grabbed him from behind. "Dude, chill. Enjoy the show! Everyone else is."

"Sure." Dylan huffed.

"Dylan!" Da Vinci called out to him as she made her way through the crowd of pups. "I'm so sorry. I didn't— One moment they were behind me, the next they were gone. I was so focused on Dante and Desmond that I didn't even notice when they disappeared."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. Think I'll have them grounded for the whole day tomorrow," Dylan said, then smiled at her. _It's good to see that she's lively again._

"What's that smile for?" Da Vinci asked.

"Never min—" Dylan paused as his ears picked up loud guttural noises. He turned back to Dante and Desmond. Both had begun to snarl at each other.

The fur on the two dogs' backs and necks sprang up. Their lips parted even further, revealing the two's sharp fangs.

Dylan bit his lip. "I don't like this." He pinned his ears back. "Dolly, don't you think we should stop this?"

"Why? 'Cause they're growling?" Dolly smirked at him. "A little goading isn't bad; it will spur 'em on! Seriously, Dylan, are you gonna fret over every li—"

They both, along with Dawkins and Da Vinci, flinched upon hearing a sudden rip; all four snapped their heads toward the rope. A cord hung from the middle, torn in two. Two more ripped, and three more followed; the middle growing thinner and thinner.

"Oh," Dolly uttered with a solemn face.

"AHH!" Deepak tucked his tail between his legs and covered his head with his paws as he began to shudder. "Dear dog, this sensation! It's like hundreds of fire ants are biting me!" He covered his mouth with his paws, feeling himself get dizzy. In a sprint, he dashed back to the house.

"That's it! I'm stopping this right now!" Dylan said. "If that rope snaps, it'll recoil like a rubber band! It can tear off their ears or rip their eyes out of their sockets!"

Dylan was about to rush in, as was Dolly, to try and stop Dante and Desmond. But before they could take a step, a sharp bang left them rooted to the ground.

The pups ceased their cheering.

Dante was sitting with his head raised up, panting. Desmond lay on the ground, motionless.

Dante stood back up and pulled the rope. He paused, feeling no weight on it. He looked over to Desmond and saw that the rope's end wasn't in his mouth anymore. _You kidding? It slipped out? Some bite strength you have._ Dante groaned. _Guess I can't drag him if he's not holding it._

Dante raised his ears. _Why did it get so quiet all of a sudden_? He looked past Desmond to the pups behind him; they were all peering right at him. He spun his head to see the same with the pups behind him. Dante stroked his ear, turning back to Desmond. _Huh? Did I overdo it?_ He pondered a little. _Oh, that's right. I completely forgot I was supposed to play 'friends' with him._

Dante let the rope fall out his mouth and walked up to Desmond. He dragged his paws on the grass, cleaning some of the mud off before shaking Desmond's head. "Come on. Get up. Everyone's watching." When he didn't respond, Dante frowned. He tucked his head under Desmond's chest and pushed up. "Get up, buddy, you're embarrassing yourself."

Standing him up, Dante noticed that Desmond had put a leg on the ground.

"Yeah, yeah. I don't need your help to stand up," Desmond told him firmly.

Dante moved aside, letting Desmond step on his other leg.

"Let's continue," Desmond said, stretching his back.

"Then pick up the rope so that I can pull you to my side," Dante told him.

Desmond's nose twitched when he heard this. He brought his jaws together, feeling no rope between them. "Ah?!"

"Couldn't you feel it missing?" Dante asked.

"No. Can't feel my jaws at all, actually." Desmond rubbed his muzzle. "You?"

Dante rubbed his jaw. "A bit sore."

"Well, whatever. Come on, let's finish our match!" Desmond told him. "My jaw may be numb, but I can still mov—"

"Are you two out of your minds?!" Dylan stormed over to them.

Dante and Desmond threw him a blank look.

"Don't give me those looks! Were you two trying to injure yourselves?!" Dylan yelled.

"What do you mean, Dylan?" Desmond said.

Dylan grabbed them by the ears, jerking their heads down to the torn rope.

"Weird," Dante stared at it. "When did this happen?"

"Just now!" Dylan let go of them. "Not only did you two ruin the skipping rope, not only did you kept slamming each other to the ground, but you also almost got yourselves maimed!"

"You guys sure went overboard." Dolly went to inspect the rope. "Holding by a few cords, eh? Welp, this is going straight to the garbage." She kicked it.

Da Vinci put a paw on her chest and exhaled. "That was close."

"Sure was," Dolly agreed.

Dante turned to Desmond. "Guess we can't finish our— Oh! Hey, your nose." He pointed at it.

Desmond touched his nose with his paw. Pulling it away, he saw blood, mixed with the mud, on it.

"Oh, dear!" Da Vinci said, walking up to him. "Did you get injured?!"

"I knew something like this would happen!" Dylan grabbed Desmond's muzzle and started to examine it. "You weren't bleeding a second ago. Did you break something?"

"Give him here," Dawkins told him, pulling Desmond down by the collar. He tapped the top of his snout. "Does it hurt?"

"No," Desmond replied.

Dawkins proceeded to tap the sides of the snout and finally the lower jaw.

"O-OW! That hurts, that hurts!" Desmond yapped.

"It's to be expected. You said you couldn't feel your jaws, right? It appears that's only true for your upper jaw. But it's fine." Dawkins pushed Desmond's head away. "Nothing seems to be fractured." He then turned to Dante. "And you? Do you feel pain anywhere?"

With a straight face, Dante wiggled his jaw back and forth, popping it.

"Evidently not." Dawkins put a paw to his forehead.

"What about the nosebleed?" Da Vinci asked, concerned.

"It's just from damaged blood vessels," Dawkins said. "Oh, and, Desmond. Please refrain from touching your nose with your paws again. We don't want it to get infected, do we?" He turned to Dylan. "Bring me the hose."

"I'll go get some tissues." Da Vinci headed for the house.

"Check on Deepak while you're at it," Dawkins told her.

"Hey, hold on!" A pup walked up to Dolly. "Who won?"

"Yeah! Who?!" The rest of the pups asked.

"Ah, yeah. Dante won," Dolly told them.

"What?!" Desmond frowned. "But he didn't pull me past the line."

Dolly shook her head. "He was going to, if the rope didn't slip out your mouth, Des." Dolly moved next to Dante and raised his paw. "THE WINNER, EVERYONE!" She yelled to the pups.

"WOOHOO! DANTE! DANTE! DANTE!" The pups gathered around him.

"Can you and Mr. Desmond do it again?!" They all said in unison with grins on their faces. "Well, can you?! Can you, can you, can you?!"

Dante let out a low groan. He pushed some of the pups to the side and walked out of the crowd only to then face Desmond.

"I challenge you to another tug of war, Dante!" Desmond told him. "I'm not settling for this. Now let's go!"

"Who said we'll be playing again?" Dante walked around Desmond. "Besides, that was our only skipping rope."

Desmond jumped in front of him. "I'll go buy a new one. So come on! Accept my challenge!"

"I'm not playing with you again, Desmond," Dante replied.

"Why not?! You telling me what we did back there wasn't fun?!" Desmond wagged his tail. "Didn't you hear the pups cheering us on?! Was it not thrilling?!"

Dante made a slight frown. _Why is he so persistent now?_ He walked around Desmond.

Desmond jumped in front of him again. "Please, Dante! Let's have another go!"

"Not a chance," Dante pushed his paw onto Desmond's chest. "not even if the whole world was about to end! Now leave me!" He pushed him aside.

"Dante!" Desmond tugged him by the tail.

Dante sat and sighed. "You won't leave me until I say yes, will you?" He saw a drop of blood ran down Desmond's mouth and fall on the grass. "Tell you what. Stop that nose of yours from bleeding, and we'll play again."

Desmond let go of his tail. "For real?"

Dante nodded.

"Dawkins! Tell me how to stop my nosebleed! Quickly!" Desmond ran up to him.

 _Finally._ Dante stood and went back on his way.

"And where are you going?" Dolly giggled as she coughed up to him and walking along his side. "Doesn't the champ wanna bask in a bit of glory?" Dolly raised her left ear. "Ah? Ah? You hear that? The pups are still shouting your name. You should probably go enjoy the moment." She playfully pushed him.

"I'll pass," Dante said, then raised his paw, showing the mud covering it. "I'll go wash the rest of this off first."

"And come back out?" Dolly asked him, smiling.

"No," Dante said, nonchalantly.

Dolly stopped in place as Dante kept walking toward the backyard's entrance. She pressed her lips tight as she watched him enter the house. _But you come out to play so rarely._ She puffed her cheeks and slowly let the air out, heading back to Desmond. _Oh, well. Guess I'll go pat the loser's back._

"Go lean yourself on the fence upright, tilt your head forward, and pinch your nose," Dawkins told Desmond. "But not with those dirty paws."

Dylan came, holding the hose in his mouth. He passed it to Dawkins. "Alright, turn on the water!" He yelled to the pups.

"Extend your paws, Desmond," Dawkins told him.

Desmond did as told, and in a few seconds, water came rushing out.

"Brr, cold!" Desmond shivered as the icy water poured onto his paws.

"First wait for Da Vinci, though," Dawkins said. "We have to clean your nose beforehand."

A hard smack on the back caused Desmond to yelp.

"How's my loser dog doing?!" Dolly poked her head out from behind him, grinning.

"Oh, you'll see, Dolly. Just let me stop this nosebleed, and I'll be hurling Dante all around the backyard!" Desmond said in a firm tone, smirking.

 _He sure is eager now!_ Dolly chuckled.

Desmond's eyes crossed when a paw placed a tissue onto his nose. "There you go." Da Vinci began dabbing off the blood.

Dawkins moved the hose to the side. "There. All clean."

"Stop the water!" Dylan yelled.

"There's a lot of blood coming out." Da Vinci pulled the tissue away. "Good thing I brought a few." She took out another one from her bandana.

"How's Deepak?" Dawkins asked Da Vinci.

"He's in the bathroom. Doing what Desmond did earlier," Da Vinci replied as she cleaned off the blood. "But I think he's going to be okay."

"I suppose this was a little too much for him. Poor guy." Dawkins put the hose down. "Now, Desmond, lean your head down slightly and blow any excess blood out of your nose. Don't put in too much force, of course."

"Yeah, well, how about you do that someplace else if you don't mind?" Dylan told them. "I don't want the pups watching this."

Desmond and Da Vinci headed toward the corner of the fence.

"Don't forget what I told you," Dawkins told Desmond.

"I know." Desmond waved his paw at him. "I needed to pinch my nose lastly, right?"

"For a couple of minutes," Dawkins added.

Dolly and Dylan sat next to Dawkins.

Dolly cocked her head at Desmond, watching him face the fence. "I am a little surprised that he's still kicking, though. You'd think he'd be dead tired after all of that pulling he did. But, hey!" She clapped with her paws. "He's super energetic now!"

"Apparently, someone's adrenaline is still in effect," Dawkins said.

"I'm more surprised that the only part of his body that hurts is his jaw." Dylan tapped on the grass with a paw.

"You can thank the endorphins for that," Dawkins told him.

"Oh, right, right," Dylan replied, then touched his jaw. "I think mine are starting to wear off. Because," He moved his jaw. "Ouch!"

"Wait till Desmond wakes up in the morning; his whole body's probably going to be throbbing with pain." Dawkins snickered.

Dolly rubbed her chin as she pondered. "Endorphins? Heh! What were those? Endorphins. Some sort of dumb pills?" She muttered to herself.

"The chemicals in your brain that relieve pain! Geez!" Dawkins and Dylan said in unison.

"Surely, Dolly, you, out of all people, should be most familiar with them," Dawkins said. "You know, with those silly and risky maneuvers you do and all." He put his paw on his mouth, covering a smile.

Dolly pinched his cheek and pulled hard. "You trying to imply something, Big Brains?"

"Ow, ow, ow, ow! Not at all, not at all!" Dawkins grabbed her paw and tilted his head to the side, breaking free from her hold.

"Yeah, I thought so." Dolly pulled her paw back and adjusted her headband.

Dawkins massaged his cheek. He focused on Desmond. "And while endorphins mitigate pain, they also have another effect—to give a euphoric sense. So Desmond's sudden change of mood doesn't come as a big shocker to me." He bit on his claw. "But, what strikes me as odd is how much he pestered Dante to play with him again; he was also very insistent on continuing on with the second match, even though, earlier, he seemed like he was near ready to leave."

"And why would that be weird?" Dylan asked.

"Because of this sudden. Rivalrous attitude, Desmond exhibited." Dawkins squinted, puzzled.

"He somewhat acted the same way with me, back when we played '500,'" Dylan told him.

Dawkins took some time to think about this. "Say. Didn't Desmond mention that he had no siblings?"

"Yeah," Dolly replied. "What about it?"

"Considering his parents aren't present much, as well, Desmond most likely has never engaged in such activities before, let alone had a proper challenge," Dawkins stated.

Dylan and Dolly threw each other a quick gaze before turning back to Dawkins. "Aha." They both uttered.

"I do believe Dante managed to bring out Desmond's competitive side. I hate to admit it, but Dante did a splendid job." Dawkins removed his claw from his mouth. "Do you think he'll agree to participate in more games?"

"About that." Dolly scratched the back of her head. "Dante actually went back in a minute ago."

"He what?!" Dawkins' muzzle wrinkled up, scowling. "Why am I not surprised?" He lifted his head and stared at the sky. _Hmm. You were very thrilled to have the pups cheer for you, weren't you, Desmond? I'd like to test something out then…_ He drew attention back to Dylan and Dolly. "Can I have you do something?"

"Go on," Dylan told him.

"The instant Desmond stops his nosebleed, get him to play something else; keep him occupied," Dawkins said. "Get the pups involved, too. If none of us can individually provide him with enough stimulus the same way Dante did, several dozen should."

"Oh-oh! We getting the whole family involved then?! 'Cause I have the perfect game in mind!" Dolly grinned as she slightly stuck her tongue out.

Dawkins nodded. "For now, go keep him and Da Vinci company."

"If we're doing this, then I'll go round up the pups, so you go tell Desmond a joke or something, Dolly." Dylan stood himself and went to do his task.

"You got it!" Dolly jumped on her legs.

* * *

"Okay. Now, gently." Da Vinci held a tissue against Desmond's nose.

Desmond took in a deep breath, closed his eyes, and exhaled the breath through his nostrils, expelling blood onto the tissue.

Da Vinci cleaned around his nose before pulling the tissue away; she took a look at the blood as it soaked into it. "What a great shade of red."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Desmond nudged her shoulder. "Admire my blood later. Give me another tissue; more's coming out!"

"Err, sorry!" Da Vinci took another tissue out.

Nearing Da Vinci, Dolly's gaze got drawn down to the blood-stained tissues; she grimaced at them and said, "You sure you don't need a box of these? 'Cause that sure is a lot of blood."

"You're exaggerating, Dolly. It's not that much," Da Vinci replied. Removing the tissue, she took a quick look at Desmond's nose. "I think all the blood's out."

"Alright. And now," Desmond pinched his nose with his paws. "a few minutes, and I'll get Dante back!"

Da Vinci's ear perked. "Dante? Wait. Weren't you two done?"

"Of course not!" Desmond replied. "He told me he'd play tug of war with me again after I get the bleeding to stop."

Da Vinci scratched her muzzle. "That's weird; because he passed me by as I was heading back here."

"What was that?!" Desmond turned away from the fence and jolted his head in every direction, trying to find Dante. "He really is gone. That liar!" He slammed his paw on the ground.

"Nose pinched!" Da Vinci said.

Desmond brought his paw back up to his nose and slammed against the fence.

"But, you know, It was a bit odd." Da Vinci sat down. "When Dante walked past me, his tail was wagging slightly."

"Was it now?" Dolly said with a wide smirk. She leaned on the fence next to Desmond. "How are you feeling, hmm?"

Desmond stood silent, pouting.

"Tell me, tell me." Dolly began flicking his ear. "Don't let Mister Night-Dog get you down." She started tickling him. "Was it fun? Was it, was it?"

Desmond let out a small giggle but forced his mouth shut; his body twitching.

"Dolly, enough!" Da Vinci said firmly. "His bleeding won't stop if you keep making him move around!"

"I won't stop until he spills it out." Dolly tickled fiercely. "Don't make me go for the 'sweet spot,' Des!" She moved her paws down to Desmond's abdomen.

Desmond's right leg instantly began kicking, and a second later, his laugh echoed through the backyard. "OKAY, OKAY! HAHAHA! It was! IT— HA! Was! STOP! MY NOSE IS— WOOHAHA! PINCHED! CAN'T! BREATHE!"

Dolly pulled her paws away at once. "It was, was it now?"

"Yes, yes. It was a lot of fun, in fact!" Desmond composed himself. "I don't know what it is or how to describe it. I've never felt like this before!" His body began trembling. "The mere thought of that tug of war match I had with Dante. It gets me. Oh, dog!" A prickly, hot sensation spread throughout his entire body. "I feel. I feel!"

"Pumped up?" Dolly said.

"Y-Yeah! Pumped!" Desmond let go of his nosed and sprang on his legs. "I feel pumped up!"

Da Vinci pushed him back down. "Will you please stay put for five minutes, Desmond?! And pinched that nose of yours!"

Desmond went back to his previous position. "Sorry," He told her, pitching his nose again. Turning to Dolly, he said, "But I was very surprised by Dante. Didn't think he'd be that strong."

"Hee-hee, he sure is!" Dolly replied. "You know. He used to get into fights a lot when he was younger."

Desmond tilted his head. "He did?"

"Oh, yeah." Dolly looked up at her brother's window. "But as the years passed, Dante got calmer and stopped getting himself into trouble."

"Did he beat others up a lot?" Desmond asked.

"The opposite, actually." Dolly snickered. "He got his butt beat a lot. But only 'cause he picked fights with older dogs."

Desmond grew a smile as he went into thought. "Huh. What a punk."

Dolly's ears perked and she turned to him. "Did you just call my brother a punk?"

"Aw, shoot!" Desmond jumped. "Did I say that out loud?!"

"Hehehe— HAHAHAHAHA!" Dolly began laughing, tears forming in her eyes. "Oh! Oh-ho-ho! A punk." She hit him on the side. "Bingo, Des! You got it! Though I've heard him be called worse." She wiped the tears off. "I bet he would've thrashed you if he heard you call him that; back then, I mean, ha-ha."

"Yeah, sure would've been funny, huh?" Desmond let out a nervous chuckle.

"I kid, of course. Dad would've stopped him." Dolly assured. "I still can't believe that he took you down so fast, though. But what do you expect, I guess? He got his power from Dad."

Desmond paused and gazed at her.

Dolly sneered a little. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"What did you just say?" Desmond squinted one eye.

"That he got it from Dad," Dolly repeated.

"Dante, right?"

"Same dog," Dolly replied.

 _'Got it'?_ Desmond gave the word a little thought. "You mean, inherited?"

"Yeah, that." Dolly nodded. "And Dad got it from his mom."

"That right?" Desmond raised a brow.

"Yup. Granny Bonnie isn't someone you should mess with." Dolly rose and began kicking the air. "She's a tough Boxer. Had a lot of attitude, too. Whenever someone bothered her, pow!" She kicked at the air. "And bam! They hit the ground and ran away like little puppies, heh!" She dropped to the ground. "But sadly, she is too old for that now."

"Your grandma is a Boxer?" Desmond got surprised.

"I mean, she still acts like that," Da Vinci said. "Not as much nowadays, but still."

"She's not as rough as she used to be, sure. But hey! Her joints just can't keep up with her, Da Vinci." Dolly rested her head on her paws. "She still has it in her, I'm sure."

Desmond listened to them while he pondered. _A Boxer grandmother? No wonder Doug's so buff. So then, Dante is Doug's biological son._ _That's a relief to hear._ He glanced at Dolly. _Then what about…_ He leaned in, closer to her. "And, you?"

"What about me?" Dolly stood up from the grass and leaned in closer, as well.

"Don't think I didn't notice that you pulled a little harder than Dylan," Desmond said.

"Excuse me? 'A little'?!" Dolly pressed her head against his, pushing it back. "You wanna go again with me?! We'll see who drags who this time!"

Desmond pushed back. "No problem if you want a second loss, but answer the question."

"Well, duh! Doug's my dad, too, so what do you think, stupid!" Dolly said. "Or did you forget how I dragged your butt on the ground?"

 _That's all I needed to hear._ Desmond thought, then recalled his match with Dylan. _I guess the strength trait skipped Dylan. Humph, tough luck._

Da Vinci grabbed Desmond's collar and jerked his head to her; when their eyes met, her brows furrowed. "I'm going to slap you," She said with an angry tone.

"What did I—"

"Stay. Still." Da Vinci tugged his collar after every word.

Desmond leaned on the fence, as did Da Vinci, keeping her paw onto his collar.

Da Vinci took one of the blood-stained tissues and directed it toward the Sun's light.

"You're gonna throw those in the trash. Right, sis?" Dolly asked.

"I'll be keeping one," Da Vinci replied. "It'll give me a good reference for blood. The color's very pretty, too." She smiled.

"Gross." Dolly stuck her tongue out.

"You reference?" Desmond said, surprised.

"Of course, I do. Don't you?" Da Vinci removed her paw from the collar to fold the tissue; she covered it with another one, and stored it in her bandana, then moved her paw back on the collar.

"I try to draw from memory," Desmond told her.

"That's good, too. But it's perfectly fine to use references," Da Vinci said. "If you aren't sure about how something looks, just take a peek at the real thing."

"Really?" Desmond asked.

"Indeed," Da Vinci replied. "Although, you've mostly been drawing basic shapes—it's not like you need any reference for that. I was planning on telling you, but once we've moved on to drawing objects and people."

"Is that so?" Desmond sighed in relief. "I thought I'd have to strain my brain to remember every single detail about whatever it is I attempted to draw."

"And drive yourself insane? Don't be ridiculous." Da Vinci began laughing. "I'd never make my student do that."

Desmond giggled. "That sure is good to hear, teach!"

"Oh!" Da Vinci's cheeks went red. "That sounds nice. I, actually, like how that sounds. Teach." She smiled at him. "Mind if you call me that from time to time?"

"Ha-ha! You really like it that much?" Desmond said.

Da Vinci pushed him. "Come on, now! It makes me feel like an actual teacher."

"Okay then." Desmond leaned down to her ear. "Teach."

"Sounds quite pleasant, but," Da Vinci grabbed his collar. "do I need to tug you again?"

"Ah, no!" Desmond snapped his head up. "You're going to end up breaking my neck if you keep doing it."

"Nah. You're a sturdy dog, Des. You didn't fall apart against Dante, so whatcha worrying about?" Dolly rolled on her back.

"We're ready!" Dylan yelled; all of the pups gathered behind him.

"Yes! Took him long enough!" Dolly sprang up. "C'mon, Des! After this, you'll be gasping for air!"

Desmond grinned. "You sure sound confident in that statement of yours! Alright, I'm game!" He slowly removed his paws from his nose. "Do you see any blood flowing?" He turned to Da Vinci.

Da Vinci took a careful look. She let go of his collar and said, "No. You're all good!"

"Great!" With a jump, Desmond landed next to Dolly. "The game?"

Dolly yanked one of her collars. "Collar Snatcher."

"Sounds fun." Desmond hopped on his paws.

"Wait." Da Vinci walked up to them. "I'll join in, too."

"Even though you don't like this game?" Dolly gave her a blank stare.

"It isn't one of my favorites, but I'll play." Da Vinci motioned with her paw, so only Dolly could see, toward Desmond.

 _Aha. Got ya, sis._ Dolly though. "Okay then. But you'll need one of these." She tapped her collars.

"Not a problem. Let me go get mine." Da Vinci sprinted to the house.

Right before entering, Da Vinci slowed her pace as she saw Deepak emerge from the house. "Hey. How are you feeling?" She stopped in front of him.

Deepak ran his tongue around the inside of his mouth. "A bit sick. I feel like I have acid in my mouth." He moved to the side. "Sorry. Were you heading in?"

"Just to take my collar," Da Vinci said and ran past him.

Deepak spun his head to the inside of the house, watching Da Vinci run down the hallway. _Get her collar?_

"Deepak!"

Deepak turned in the direction of the voice, which led to the nearby plastic table. There, he spotted Dawkins lying under it.

Dawkins waved at him.

Deepak walked over to him. "What's been going on? Da Vinci said she wanted to get her collar, even though we're still home," He looked around the backyard. "Where did Dante go? And, uh, HUH?!" He focused on Desmond. "Wha— What's with that smile?! And that frisky way he's moving?!"

"Let's continue from where we left off." Dawkins stood up and gestured for him to follow. "A final check. I won't ask any more of you."

"Sure, but how did he?" Deepak pointed at Desmond. "And when?"

"A little after you left," Dawkins told him. "I'll tell you after you have a look at his aura, okay?"

Reaching their siblings, Deepak neared Desmond while Dawkins waited on the side. A powerful and warm wave filled with life hit Deepak in a flash. He stood, unable to move as all the sound around him deadened.

"I see everyone has gathered." Dolly smiled.

"Wasn't very hard to assemble them," Dylan said. "When they heard the name of the game, most came on their own."

"You knew?" Dolly said, surprised.

"Oh, please. As if I couldn't guess when you said you had the perfect game in mind," Dylan told her.

Desmond held his chin, pondering. "Though, now that I think about it, I've never heard of this game before." He tugged at his collar.

"Obviously not." Dylan shifted his gaze to his sister. "It's a made-up game by Dolly." He turned to the pups. "Alright, everyone. Loosen up your collars." He put his paw on his collar's buckle. "Now remember, you have to put in a little effort here," He told them, then pressed a button, releasing the collar's end. He took the end and pulled it back through the buckle. "Leave your collars loose just enough so that they don't fall off your necks."

The pups proceeded to copy him.

"If anyone needs help, say," Dylan told them.

Desmond began unlatching his collar.

"Listen up, Des." Dolly started doing the same. "There's a time limit of one hour. Within this hour, you must snatch as many collars as you can without getting yours taken; if that happens, you can try to get it back. But be sure to do so before the time has passed; otherwise, you'll lose no matter how many collars you've collected. The winner is the one with the most collars, including their own."

Dolly moved down to her second collar. "It's every dog for themselves, so don't expect any help. The _playground_ is our entire property, with the exception of the second floor and up. The backyard, first floor, and basement are all fair game, though."

She began unlatching her last collar. "Final rule: be on the move. You can't stay in one place for more than thirty seconds, or you lose automatically."

"Got it!" Desmond squinted and started twisting his paws. He took a good, long look at the pups, and smirked. "Heh! This is going to be pretty easy."

"Hah! Look who sounds confident in their statement now!" Dolly moved in front of him. "Want some tips?"

"Nah." Desmond held his chin high up and averted his eyes. "Besides the rules, anything else I can learn as I go."

 _Won't even look at me, huh?!_ Dolly curled her lip. _Cocky, are we?_

 _What's taking him so long?_ Dawkins thought as he gazed at Deepak. He approached him and placed his paw on the pup's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Deepak shook his head and turned to him. "Y-Yeah. Yeah, I am."

Dolly glanced to the side. "Oh! When did you come back?" She turned to face Deepak.

"A minute ago," Dawkins said.

"You two gonna play?" Dolly asked.

"We'll have to decline." Dawkins directed Deepak toward the table. "Besides, you already have enough players as it is."

"Your loss." Dolly shrugged and faced Desmond again.

Dawkins stroked Deepak on the back as they headed for the table. "What happened? You were like a statue."

"What a change," Deepak murmured, gawping at the grass. As he and Dawkins neared the table, his tail began swaying rapidly as a wide smile engulfed his face. "What. A. Change!" He jumped onto Dawkins, knocking him on the ground. He wrapped his paws around Dawkins' neck and squeezed as hard as he could. "How did you do it?! He's like Dad on a holiday!"

"Is the change that big?" Dawkins said as he tried getting Deepak off, but no amount of struggle availed him.

"Yes! Ha-ha! It is! His aura's so vigorous and ecstatic! Any anguish has completely vanished!" Deepak pressed his forehead against his brother's. "How?! How did you do it?!"

"I'll be able to better converse on my paws," Dawkins told him. "Would you be so kind as to get yourself off of me?"

"Right! Sure, sure!" Deepak rolled to the side.

Dawkins rose and rubbed his neck. "You're like pliers when you hug." He lay under the table and tapped the grass to his right. "Join me in the shade."

Deepak hopped over to him, dropped down, and snuggled next to him. He tilted his head back and jerking his ears up, gazing at Dawkins.

Dawkins crossed his front legs. "After you ran inside, Desmond and Dante…"

Da Vinci walked out of the house, her bandana gone. She sat down to adjust her raspberry-hued collar; as it tilted at an angle, the silver tag glinted when the Sun's rays hit it. She quickly made her way to her siblings, where she positioned herself beside Dylan. She quickly began to unlatch her collar when she saw that everyone had already loosened theirs up.

"We're ready!" The pups yelled.

"Don't you worry, Dolly, I'll be careful with the little ones," Desmond assured her as he pulled his shoulder blades apart, stretching his upper back.

"No, no, Des. I don't think you understand." Dolly stood on her hind legs and curled her paws around his neck. "Not careful with. Careful of," She said with a mischievous grin.

Desmond shifted focus to the pups, who now all had their eyes fixed on him, their mouths contorting into malicious smiles.

Dolly pushed him, causing him to stumble back. "COLLAR SNATCH!" She shouted and darted toward the house.

Everyone dispersed at once.

Regaining his footing, Desmond bent his legs and began tossing his head in every direction, trying to keep his eyes on the pups. Before he could take a step, the ground beneath him burst open as Diesel shot out of it.

With a wide-open mouth, Diesel aimed for the collar. Desmond sprang back, barely avoiding him. Landing on his paws, Diesel quickly dug a hole and hurled in it, vanishing from sight.

 _From below?!_ Desmond rushed away from the hole, glancing at the ground every few seconds. Looking up, he was met with D3, who leaped at him. Desmond rolled to the side, evading him. He shot D3 a glance. _Where are One and Two?!_ Feeling teeth on his tail, he spun his head to see D1 biting it.

A moment later, D2 jumped on his back.

D3 turned around and charged at Desmond.

"Is this even allowed?!" Desmond frowned.

"As long as we don't hurt you." D2 reached for the collar.

Desmond started thrashing his body around, throwing D2 off his back. He ducked down when D3 jumped at him, then stood on his front legs to raise his back and lift D1's head up.

Since he didn't apply much force into the bite, D1 lost hold of the tail.

Wasting no time, Desmond sprinted for the house. _Here in the open, I'm a sitting duck!_ Before reaching the entrance, however, he had to dodge the attacks of several pups, who came at him from the sides, front, and back. _Maybe I should've taken Dolly up on those tips she offered._ Entering in, Desmond dashed through the hallway.

"Get up, get up!" D1 yelled at his brothers, heaving them up.

Both D2 and D3 stuck close to D1's sides as the three ran toward their siblings.

"You okay, D2?" D1 said.

"Yeah. I'm just angry!" D2 clenched his teeth. "I almost had him!"

"Leave him. Desmond's too big, so let's focus on the others first," D1 told him.

"I'm still a little worried," D2 said. "Aren't we breaking the rules?"

"Technically not. We just happen to have the same target, you know." He winked at him. "Besides, we're saving each other for the end. Right, guys?"

"That's right. I don't mind losing so long as one of us wins," D3 said. "And beats Dolly!"

"Especially her!" D2 agreed.

Setting their sights onto five of their younger siblings, the three dogs split and surrounded the pups.

 _Those five are done for._ Delgado cackled as he ran by a pup, snatching her collar. He stopped for a second to put it on his neck and continued on. _One down, ninety-one to go!_

"… and that's why Desmond is this ecstatic now." Dawkins twisted his lower body, splaying his hind legs to the side.

"So Dolly was right to bring him out!" Deepak said, tail wagging.

Dawkins placed his paw onto his brother's head. " _You_ were right, Deepak. If it weren't for you figuring out that Desmond responded better to physical activity, I doubt we would be relaxing under this table's cool shade right now." He ruffled Deepak's fur as the corners of his mouth lifted, forming a warm smile.

Deepak took Dawkins' paw and held it in his own. "It's due to your help, though. Without your advice, I wouldn't have tried approaching the situation differently." He nestled his head into Dawkins' fur and closed his eyes. "Thank you so much for helping me with this."

Dawkins blushed, then cleared out his throat. "You're… welcome." He put his paw on his chin. _I do suppose I did aid him._ His ears perked. _And how did you achieve this, Dawkins? With the knowledge, you've learned over these past months? Indeed! How else?_ He placed his paw across his face, letting out an involuntary chuckle. _It wasn't a waste of time! I simply lacked the type of knowledge needed for this._

"Hee-hee. Someone's in a good mood." Deepak opened an eye.

"You can say that again." Dawkins looked at the clouds. _A couple of books on psychology wouldn't be a bad idea. As a matter of fact, studying the mind would be highly_ _desirable! To better understand these kinds of things and help others, I need to expand my knowledge even further._ He let out a slow exhale. A sudden thought appeared in his head. "Oh, and before I forget, Deepak."

"Huh?" Deepak opened his other eye.

"Fire ants sting, they don't bite." Dawkins tapped Deepak on the nose.

"Aww! Don't remind me!" Deepak moaned, burying his face in his brother's fur.

"He-he-he. That certainly tickles." Dawkins snickered. "Corrections aside, there still is one thing left to solve."

Deepak's ears twitched. "There is?"

"It's not only physical activity, you see," Dawkins told him. "I believe there is one more element that needs to be added to Desmond's treatment."

"Oh!" Deepak raised a brow. "And. That is?"

"I'm not yet certain of it," Dawkins said. "I am currently testing it. I'll observe Desmond, and after several games of 'Collar Snatcher', I'll be able to give you a definitive answer."

"Several?" Deepak looked at the house, then back to Dawkins. "You think he'll play again?"

"He certainly isn't winning the first game," Dawkins replied, "and from what I've seen, Desmond will definitely want a rematch."

"Come on, don't be so harsh." Deepak nudged him. "I'm sure Desmond will prevail eventually."

"Perhaps. But not in the first few games," Dawkins told him. "Anyhow, all we have to do now is relax and let things play out."

Deepak closed his eyes and laid his head back onto his brother's side. Dawkins rested his head onto his paws and began counting the seconds as they passed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Extra Art](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/6a4adea5-ce0f-4750-879c-8c100f181705/de8ihzg-e3afd4f8-a914-4d3f-988d-ae5834ab729c.png/v1/fill/w_1280,h_420,q_80,strp/the_new_neighbor__size_chart_by_valo_son_de8ihzg-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD00MjAiLCJwYXRoIjoiXC9mXC82YTRhZGVhNS1jZTBmLTQ3NTAtODc5Yy04YzEwMGYxODE3MDVcL2RlOGloemctZTNhZmQ0ZjgtYTkxNC00ZDNmLTk4OGQtYWU1ODM0YWI3MjljLnBuZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD0xMjgwIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.c550jCqSBpUIdEwPiTNjq8pwxvhLIlLu1rOLz1qkEXc) \- Character size and design.  
> This will also serve as a reference to help keep the characters more consistent in height and appearance.


	22. Peace of Mind, Part 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Chapter Cover](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/6a4adea5-ce0f-4750-879c-8c100f181705/deeogbq-1b23490b-8bac-4009-9418-7e2f64cdfc76.png/v1/fill/w_1280,h_1728,q_80,strp/peace_of_mind__part_5_by_valo_son_deeogbq-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD0xNzI4IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvNmE0YWRlYTUtY2UwZi00NzUwLTg3OWMtOGMxMDBmMTgxNzA1XC9kZWVvZ2JxLTFiMjM0OTBiLThiYWMtNDAwOS05NDE4LTdlMmY2NGNkZmM3Ni5wbmciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.LkKf6QkshWkIoFFmuJWbnlC8RUekIF0WKRonEsMA0S8)

Running through the hallway, Desmond turned right and hurled himself into the living room. He peeked out of it to scan the hallway; to his surprise, it was empty. He pulled his head into the room. "Odd. With how eager they were to get me, I thought at least a few would be chasing me."

Desmond's ears perked when he heard a tap. He snapped his head around, darting glances around the room. The tap came again from behind the couch, followed by another one. Desmond smirked slightly and tiptoed his way to the couch. _Two or three pups are easy pickings._ Ducking, he moved along the couch, poking his head out of the corner when he reached the back. _Huh?!_ He scratched his head, seeing no one behind.

"Now!"

Desmond sprung up and saw Dee Dee on the table; he shifted focus back to the couch to see several pups charging at him.

All of them pounced on his body and clung tight.

Dizzy dashed from behind the TV and pushed Desmond's legs, tripping him over.

Desmond tumbled down.

"I want that collar!" Dee Dee jumped off the table and leaped at Desmond.

Desmond extended his paws and grabbed her; he threw her on the couch, where she bounced a few times before colliding with a pillow.

Dizzy clasped Desmond's head, covering his eyes. "Take it, take it, take it!" She yelled to the pups, then yelped, feeling a tug on her neck; she gasped, seeing her collar in Desmond's mouth.

Desmond spat it to the side and brought his front legs together, covering his collar.

The pups bumped into his paws.

Desmond pushed the pups back and rolled to the left, causing them to fall off of him. He stood and shook his head side to side.

Dizzy lost hold of her grip and flew to the couch.

Desmond snatched Dizzy's collar off the floor and put it on his neck. He looked down to see the pups surrounding him. They charged, readying their jaws; Desmond leaped over the pups, landing behind them. They slammed into each other, a few falling onto the floor.

 _How did Mom do it again?_ Desmond looked at the back of the pups' necks. He hurled his head toward them and opened his mouth. Grabbing a pup by the scruff of its neck, he tossed it on the couch. He grabbed another and did the same. Desmond proceeded with this until all were on the sofa. "Thanks for the collar, Dizzy." He winked at her and chortled, running out of the living room.

"Shoot!" Dizzy kicked a pillow.

* * *

Desmond opened the bathroom door, entered, and shut it. "Ah." He groaned. "Even loosened, her collar's so tight." Desmond took Dizzy's collar off and put it on his right front leg. "Dolly never said it must be on the neck." He put his ear against the door and listened. A moment later, he heard the sound of a dozen paws rushing through the hallway. He pulled away from the door, sat, and rubbed his jaw. _It sure is starting to hurt— Ow!_

Desmond paused when his ears picked up a low scratching noise. He stood and focused on the bathtub. Preparing himself, he slowly made his way to the tub, carefully bit the curtain, and moved it aside with a swift pull.

"EEP!" Da Vinci yelped, backing to the corner of the tub.

"Oh!" Desmond let go of the curtain. He stood on his hind legs and rested his paws on the tub's edge. "What are you doing here?"

"Hiding." Da Vinci moved closer to him. "I can't go out there, they're all wild animals when they play this game. Why do you think I'm not fond of it?"

"But you can't stay here for too long," Desmond told her.

"Yes. Yes, I know." Da Vinci moaned, laying her head on the tub's edge. She noticed the collar on Desmond's right forearm. "Oh, hey, you got Dizzy's?"

"Yeah. Snatched it when she, Dee Dee, and a bunch of the pups ganged up on me," Desmond said.

"Ganged up? Wasn't everyone supposed to be watching their own backs?" Da Vinci asked.

"I figured they must've found a loophole," Desmond replied. "That aside"—he eyed her collar—"we're still playing, you know."

Da Vinci compressed her lips and backed away from him.

Desmond jumped in the tub and approached her.

Da Vinci bumped into the wall of the bathtub. She smiled anxiously and put a paw on her collar. "Oh, shucks. Well, you got me. Not like I can do much." She took off her collar and held it out to him.

"Eh?!" Desmond cocked his head. "Aren't you going to fight back?" He pushed the collar back to her. "Put it on, and let's go!"

"You have me cornered, and I doubt I can overpower you." Da Vinci held her collar out again. "Little old me can't hope to stand a chance against you," She said with a dramatic voice.

"You're screwing with me, aren't you?" Desmond loomed over her. "Won't you at least try to make a run for it?" He moved to the side. "Door's right over there." He pointed at it.

"But you'll catch me," She said.

"You don't know that!" He replied.

Da Vinci took out the end of her collar through the buckle. "If I run, will you stop me?"

"Yes!" Desmond said.

"Click!" She latched her collar onto Desmond's. "Then why waste my time?"

"Huh?!" Desmond bent his head, staring at her collar. " Uh-uh! No, no, no!" He began unlatching it when Da Vinci grabbed his paws, stopping him.

"Mind a deal?" She asked.

Desmond squinted an eye. "Listening."

"It's not that I haven't tried winning this game before, but I'm not agile like Delgado or strong like Dante; I never last long, and I know I'll lose the collar soon," She told him. "So, and if this is all right with you, can I entrust you with it?"

"Entrust? You want me to play on your behalf?" He asked.

"Yes, exactly," She replied. "And you can have my collar for the whole game."

"You won't be acknowledged as the winner, though."

"That's fine. As long as my collar makes it to the end on you, that's good enough for me," She told him.

Desmond looked at her and back to her collar. He fiddled with it for a short while before smiling. "Sure! Having to guard two collars is way more exciting! Double the vigilance, double the fun!"

"Phew—thank you." Da Vinci smiled back.

Desmond took her collar off of his and put it on his neck. "At least yours is bigger than Dizzy's."

Da Vinci leaned herself on the tub. _Now I don't have to look over my shoulder all the time._

Desmond stepped out of the bathtub. "Leave it to me, then! With my win, comes yours!"

Da Vinci got out, as well. "I'll be rooting for you!"

Desmond went to the door, open it, took a quick look around, and exited.

Da Vinci leaned on the door's frame, attention toward him. She brushed the fur on her neck. _Sorry, Desmond. I wanted to make this fun for you, but this place becomes a madhouse whenever this game's played. The feeling of being a target is unbearable._

* * *

_Quiet again_ , Desmond thought, walking through the hallway. He peered into the living room as he slowly walked past it. Entering the kitchen, Desmond neared the table and looked under it. _No one here._ He moved to the window and peeked out of it; outside, the pups were chasing each other and jumping on one another. _Okay, most are out. Without the obstacles of the house, it's easier for them to catch each other, but_ —he looked around the kitchen— _for me, it'd be best to stay inside._ Desmond headed back to the hallway. _Tch! Though I won't be as likely to get attacked in here, I can't get any collars if I only walk around the house. Curse my size!_

Exiting the kitchen, Desmond bumped into someone.

"Ow, my nose!" Dylan pulled his head back; he jerked it up, meeting Desmond's eyes.

Both stared at each other for a second before Desmond shot his head toward Dylan's collar, jaws wide open; Dylan jolted to the side, dead-eyed, dogging him. Desmond snapped at him again; Dylan ducked and jumped back into the hallway.

 _Good reflexes._ Desmond raised his head. "Quick to react, are you?"

"When you're pelted constantly with kibble and toys, you need the fast movements," Dylan said.

Desmond leaned forward, readying himself. "Truth be told, Dylan, I'm happy I stumbled on you—out of everyone, I like your collar the most!" He said with glee.

Dylan bent his legs and lowered his head, preparing to sprint away.

Desmond began to charge at Dylan but froze when a small glass marble crashed near his paw. He stared at it, noticing saliva all over it. _What is—?!_

Running past Dylan, Dolly stopped in front of Desmond and smiled at him.

Desmond shifted attention to her and saw her puffed-out cheeks. _The hell?!_

"Oh, no, Dolly. Not _this_ again!" Dylan groaned.

Dolly inhaled through her nostrils and spat a marble between Desmond's paws, making him step back. She ran around him in a circle, spitting marbles out.

Desmond found himself surrounded by a field of saliva-covered marbles. Looking at them, he grimaced.

Dolly wiped her mouth with a paw. "Good thing I found you fast; my cheeks were getting sore."

Desmond glared at her. _What a nasty player she is._ He got ready to leap over the marbles when he paused. He circled in place, darting eyes from side to side. _I can't jump across. They're scattered too widely._

"Come on, Dolly, who do you think will have to clean this?!" Dylan stomped on the floor.

"Zip it, Dyl," Dolly told him. She turned to Desmond. "Is there a problem, Des? Just jump over them."

Desmond faced her, frowning. He noticed four collars around her neck and two on each forearm. _So many, so fast?!_

Dolly made slow, soft steps toward him. "You can't, can you? I've seen you jump before, so I know your limit. What now, Des? And do remember the half-minute rule~"

Desmond extended his paw to push the marbles aside, but the saliva dripping off of them caused him to halt.

"Yeah, you can do that," Dolly said, "that is, if you dare."

"This is disgusting, Dolly," Desmond said through his teeth, pulling his paw back.

"True. But you can't say it isn't effective." Dolly giggled. "Oh! You have Dizzy's collar, not bad. Though, Da Vinci's is nothing to brag about."

"Ahem! It was hard taking it from her," Desmond said sternly.

"Uh-huh, and Dylan here's a Kangal." Dolly snickered. "I've zeroed in on your collar, Des"—she put her paw on a marble and rolled it around the floor—"and now I'm only a meter away from getting it." She pushes it to the side and made her way through the others.

Desmond backed away from her. His left hind leg stepped on a marble. Feeling the warm liquid, he jerked his leg up and shook it fiercely. _How can she come up with such gross things?! But I have to move! I'll lose otherwise._

"Careful not to trip!" Dylan told him.

Desmond turned to Dolly and back to the marbles; he sighed, dropping his ears. _Ugh, I have no choice, do I?_ Desmond swallowed and shuffled backward, through the marbles; his body shivered as he made contact with them.

Dolly perked her ears. "Hah! Watch him go."

Dylan pulled his brows down and lifted his upper lip. "I can't believe you're actually doing that, Desmond, ew! I'll make sure to disinfect your paws later."

Desmond exited the field of marbles and quickly shook the saliva off. _I swear to dog, Dolly!_

"Bravo, bravo!" Dolly clapped with her paws. "I'll give you points for having guts. Don't rest yet, though, 'cause we're just starting!" She kicked the marbles, scattering them all around the hallway.

Dylan scuttled back as the marbles rolled toward him.

"Let's see if you can watch your footing"—Dolly leaped at Desmond—"while keeping eyes on me!"

Desmond rolled on his back and pulled his legs in. The instant Dolly landed on him, he placed his paws onto her chest and pushed up, launching her off to the base of the staircase. Dolly rolled a few times before stopping herself and standing.

Desmond rose from the floor. "Sorry! Did you get hurt?"

"Don't sweat it, Des, I'm not made of glass," Dolly said. "And this makes nine." She raised her paw and moved it in a circular motion; on it, a purple-striped blue collar swirled around her wrist.

"Wha?!" Desmond glanced at his forearm. _How did she do it so fast?!_

"Twelve, plus my own." Dolly tittered. She cocked her head and grinned. "Want it back? Come get it."

Desmond charged at her but slipped as he stepped on a few marbles, veering to the side, falling headfirst. He flung his paws in front of him, catching himself before colliding with the floor. His nose an inch away from the boards.

"I told you to be careful!" Dylan yelled from behind.

A chill ran through Desmond's neck as he felt a cold, wet nose touch it. He pushed his paws against the floor, thrusting himself backward.

Dylan's ears perked. "No, don't pull ba—"

Hearing a click, Desmond stopped in place and ran his paw up and down his neck; he touched only a single collar. He turned to Dolly. Between her jaws, she held his crimson collar as its gold pendant dangled from it.

Dolly hopped from one leg to the other, threw the collar up, and let out a loud howl. She slipped her head through it as it fell. "I got it, I got it~ Your collar, I got it~" She sang, swaying her hips from side to side.

Desmond leered at her and dashed toward her.

Dolly ran at him. She bent, let the momentum carry her, and slid under him. She continued sliding until she reached a small groove in the boards where she stopped. She stepped on it. "C'mon! Right over here!"

Desmond turned around, chuffing; he rushed at her, striking the floor with heavy thumps.

 _A bit closer._ Dolly stuck her paw in the groove.

When Desmond was a few steps away from her, Dolly gripped the side of the groove and flung open a trapdoor.

Desmond thrust his paws to the floor, stopping himself right before falling in. He glimpsed down when he heard faint murmurs but only saw stairs leading to darkness.

"Curious?" Dolly placed her hind leg on his back.

Desmond spun his head. _When did—?!_

"Then"—she pushed him in—"go have a look!"

Desmond fell on his chest and rolled down the stairs into the darkness. Reaching the bottom, he crashed on the ground. He stood and shook his head. _Thought it would hurt more._ Feeling the ground soft, he drew attention to it. _Dirt?!_ He took a look around but couldn't see a thing. _The... basement, I presume. Huh, first time here._ Desmond grabbed his chest as a stabbing pain hit it. "Argh— Ahhh!" He rubbed his chest frantically.

"You alive, Des?" Dolly looked down, squinting. "Can't see ya from the dark. You hurt yourself?"

"Yes, Dolly, I did!" He stepped into the light, scowling at her. "Thanks to you."

"Oh, sorry. Would you like us to stop the game, then?"

"No way! Not until I've won!" Desmond took his paw off of his chest and slammed it into the dirt.

"Okay, okay. If you insist so much." Dolly walked to the side and put her paw on top of the trapdoor. "Next game, I'll give you a free collar, okay?"

"What are you talking about?!" Desmond tapped Da Vinci's collar. "I still have a collar left, and I just need to get mine back."

"Ha-ha, with the time you have left? Yeah right." Dolly stuck her head in. "Say you survive down there; you still won't make it in time."

Desmond gazed at her with a blank expression, ear twitching. He turned to the side when he heard faint giggles.

"He's all yours, guys!" Dolly pulled her head out.

From the dark, small eyes lit up as the light from above shined on them-followed by dozens more until they surrounded Desmond entirely. With light steps nearing closer, the giggles grew louder, echoing throughout the basement.

Desmond squinted his eyes, discerning the shapes of pups approaching him.

"They've been dying to get their paws on you, so make sure to entertain them." Dolly smirked.

"Hold o—" Desmond froze when something grabbed his hind leg. He turned his head and peered down; Diesel had wrapped his paws around his leg, upper body protruding from the dirt.

"Hi, Desmond," Diesel said, tightening his grip. "Let's have some fun."

Desmond flinched. He took firm hold of Da Vinci's collar.

"We hope you don't disappoint, Mr. Desmond," The pups said in unison, grinning, exposing their gleaming, sharp teeth.

"Good luck, Des." Dolly waved at him.

Desmond jerked his head up and stared at her. "But, I—"

Dolly slammed the trapdoor shut and tapped on it with a paw. "And, now." Her attention turned to Dylan. "What to do with you, brother dearest?"

Dylan darted for the backyard. Dolly sprinted after him, caught up, and bit his tail, tripping him on the floor. Dylan jumped up and tried running again, but Dolly pressed her paws against the boards and pulled on his tail. Dylan hauled himself forth.

"Dude, stop for a second!" Dolly said through her teeth, tugging his tail.

Dylan spun his head.

Dolly let go of his tail and sat. "Wanna be buddies?"

"What do you mean?" Dylan raised a brow and turned around.

"First: watch my back, I'll watch yours," Dolly said. "Don't want anyone sneaking up on us."

"Okay. So, what do you mean by that?" Dylan asked.

"Let's cooperate," Dolly said. "I have no problem dealing with the pups, but Diesel, Delgado, Dizzy, Dee Dee, and especially the Dimitris can be a hassle." She stood. "Switch places, by the way."

Both moved to the other's position.

"So, how about it?" Dolly asked. "Lend me a paw, and in exchange"—she took three collars off of her neck—"I'll give you these. And, I'll make sure you make it to the end with your collar untouched."

Dylan gave it some thought as he looked at the collars. A second later, he furrowed his brows. "You'll be coming for me afterward, won't you?"

"Well, sure. There can only be one winner, after all," Dolly told him. "Though, when was the last time you got more than two collars and didn't lose yours? Not to mention, with me by your side, you'll be getting plenty more; not as much as me, of course, but still."

Dylan pushed the collars away. "Thanks, but no. I won't be exploiting that loophole; I'm sticking with the rules."

"Urgh, you're still playing by them." She pouted.

"You know what I mean," He said. "I want to win this on my own."

Dolly put the collars back on her neck and huffed. "That so, huh? I'm giving you a good deal here and you turn me down like that? Fine. But you better start running, 'cause I'm about to—"

The scanner beeped, unlocking the main door.

Dylan and Dolly turned toward it.

Destiny entered through the pet door, sighing, followed by Dallas and Deja Vu.

Destiny sat and rubbed her neck. "Geez, my neck's killing me. 'Redo the entire photo shoot,' they said, 'These poses aren't good enough,' they said. I'll give them good enough! What an awful session." She growled. "We were fine. We were great. Right, girls?"

"Stop beating yourself up over it already, Tiny," Dallas said, shaking her front legs. "It's that stupid photographer's fault—complete amateur! Even after redoing the whole thing, there was no time left for _part two_ because of her. Don't blame yourself."

Dolly waved her paw. "Hey, Tri—"

"Yeah, Destiny, we were in top form today," Deja Vu said, stretching her hind leg. She pulled it back and hopped in place.

"Or maybe I was posing poorly?" Destiny tugged her ear.

Dylan tilted his head. "Triple—"

"Uh-uh! I don't want to hear you say that again!" Dallas snapped. "You were on point."

"We all were," Deja Vu said as she arching her back, stretching it.

"Look, I'll have Deepak give you one of his special massages; that will put your mind at ease." Dallas patted Destiny on the back.

"Hmm," Destiny murmured.

"Triple-D!" Dylan yelled.

All three jerked their heads at him.

"Oh. Hello. Dylan. Dolly," Destiny said in a low tone.

"Hey there! Took you long enough." Dolly chuckled.

"Problems at work?" Dylan said.

"Don't ask," Destiny replied and headed for the staircase. She paused when her paw stepped on a round, wet object. She moved it to the side, revealing a marble; the others caught her attention not long after. "Why are there marbles all over the floor? And, uh… why are they wet?"

"That's mah spit," Dolly told her.

"Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew!" Destiny wiped her paw on the floor.

"Ach!" Dallas' muzzle wrinkled up. "Totally gross! Why would you lick them?!"

"I didn't lick 'em, they were in my mouth," Dolly said.

"That's even grosser!" Dallas frowned. "What's wrong with you?" She glared at her.

"We're just playing." Dolly pulled on one of her collars. "Relax, will ya?"

Deja Vu gasped and pushed Dallas aside. "Is that what I think it is?!" She gazed at Dolly's collars. "Are you playing 'Collar Snatcher'?!"

Dolly nodded. "Ah, right." She turned to Dylan. "Switch."

Both exchanged places.

"I wanna play! I wanna play!" Deja Vu ran up to her.

"Deja Vu, you can play another day. We have to get ready for tomorrow," Destiny told her sternly.

"Nuh-uh, no way," Deja Vu said. "We rarely play this game, and last time we came back home, it was already over. I'm not missing this one!" She turned to Dolly. "Please tell me it's not over yet!"

"Well"—Dolly looked at the clock—"there's half an hour left, so you better hurry."

Destiny huffed, tapping on the floor. "Fine, but you get to play…"

"Only one game," Dallas finished.

"This one doesn't count, though, since it's not a full game," Deja Vu stated.

"Urgh, all right. Just get it over with fast," Destiny told her.

"Yeah, right, right." Deja Vu dashed past Dolly and Dylan toward the backyard.

"She spent hours striking poses, and now she wants to run around?" Dallas popped her neck. "Je ne peux pas la croire." She exhaled, rubbing her forehead.

"We're not in France, Dallas." Destiny leered at her.

"Just practicing," Dallas said with a nervous smile. "Anyway, right now, I want to take a long, hot bath." She pushed Destiny toward the stairs. "You need one, too."

"Sure. Why not?" Destiny walked up the steps. Mid-way up, she stopped and stuck her head through the railings. "How's Desmond, by the way? Did Deepak fix him?"

"He sure is feeling a lot better now." Dolly tapped on the trapdoor.

"Ah. So that drama's over, then. Some good news for a change." Destiny pulled her head back and proceeded climbing.

Dallas stuck her head out. "When your game's over, send Vu up, pronto. We'll be getting up early tomorrow to finish the photo shoot; it'll be a long day, so we need her rested, clean, and ready to go. Got that?"

"No problem," Dolly said.

Dallas pulled her head back and joined Destiny's side as they made their way through the second floor's hallway.

"Now, where were we?" Dolly began to turn but froze when a cold, wet nose prodded her on the back of her neck. She leaped forth; a moment later, she heard a click. Landing on the floor, Dolly faced Dylan with a swift turn.

Dylan raised his brows up and down as a green collar hung from his mouth.

"You! Did you?! You, uh!" Dolly glanced at the staircase. "While I was distracted?!"

Dylan put the collar on his neck. "As if I'd miss such an opportunity."

Dolly couldn't help but grow a smile, which she spun her head to hide. "Heh-heh. Oh-ho-ho!" She bit her lip, muffling her voice, and took a few seconds to calm herself. "Okay. That, I liked. Which is why I'll let you have it." She brushed the collars on her neck with a paw. "I've got collars to spare, after all." She sat and waved her paw at him. "Now, go."

Dylan took a step back. "Go?"

"Yeah. Go," Dolly repeated. "As I said, I liked what you did; that's why I'm giving you to the count of ten to run, hide, whatever."

Dylan cleared his throat and said, "Not that passionate about chasing me anymore?" He took another step back.

"Oh, I am." Dolly scratched the boards with her claws. "You turned down my offer and took a collar from me." She glowered at him. "You think I'll just let that slide? I am making you my main target, Dylan."

Dylan pulled his tail down.

"One. Two. Three." Dolly started counting.

Dylan swallowed. He found himself slowly backing away from Dolly as he kept his eyes on her. Step by step, his pace increased until he made a break for the backyard. _I don't care if it's the pups, Delgado, the Dimitris, or whoever—anyone but her!_

"… Eight. Nine. And. Ten." Dolly took in a deep breath as she tossed her head back. "DO YOU HEAR ME, YOU DORK?! I WON'T STOP CHASING YOU TILL I RIP YOUR COLLARS OFF YOUR NECK!" She barreled through the hallway at full speed with a devilish grin on her face.

A minute later, the trapdoor burst open. Desmond flew out of the basement. He slammed the trapdoor shut and jumped on top of it. He hung his head, heavy pants escaping his mouth; placing a paw on Da Vinci's collar, he closed his eyes and tried regulating his breathing but nearly lost balance as fierce slams rattled the trapdoor.

He struck the trapdoor with his hind leg, pressing it. "You're not getting out, Diesel! Stay down there!" He raised his head and darted glances around the hallway. _Gone?!_ He ground his teeth, popping his jaw. _All right, Dolly. That's it. Now you've done it._ Desmond bolted through the house in search of her.

* * *

Driving a claw into the ground and dragging it toward him, Dawkins raised his head from the grass and looked to his right when Da Vinci walked under the table.

"May I?" She asked.

"Go ahead," Dawkins replied.

Da Vinci looked at Deepak, who was nestled against Dawkins. "I'll be quiet," She whispered and lay next to him.

"No need to, he's in a deep sleep," Dawkins told her. "Desmond got your collar again?" He eyed her neck. "Won't you try getting it back?"

"As if I can," Da Vinci replied. "Figured I'd spent my time some other way than waste my breath in a vain chase."

"What were you doing, then? Dawkins asked.

"Walked around the house until the time ran out in the first game. Last game, I spent most of the time in the living room, doodling; got me disqualified." Da Vinci held in a giggle. "Now, a mix of the two. So, you known, fun stuff." She eyed Deepak, remarking his lax body and broad smile. She caressed his ear and said, "He seems so peaceful now."

"Indeed. He deserves a rest after all the stress he went through," Dawkins stated.

Da Vinci looked at the pups running around the backyard. "It's been three games already, eh?"

"Ten thousand two hundred thirty-six seconds, Da Vinci," Dawkins said, "it hasn't been three games yet; there are roughly ten minutes left until the end of this one."

"Have you been counting this whole time?" Da Vinci threw an odd look at him. "You're crazy."

"Had to keep myself occupied with something while I waited for results," Dawkins said. "Though, because it takes more time to count the larger numbers than it takes for a second to pass, I drew a line in the ground every time I reached one hundred to keep an accurate pace with time." He pointed to the ground in front of him.

Da Vinci leaned her head over and saw the 102 incisions Dawkins had made in the ground.

"And even if I did count from one all the way to ten thousand, I don't see what's so crazy about it," Dawkins scoffed. "You've heard me count far higher than that."

 _I'm more shocked you spent all this time playing the role of a clock, actually,_ Da Vinci thought, scratching her head. "Uh, you said something about results?"

"Yes. I'm currently running a test," Dawkins said. "See, we brought Desmond out to distract him from his homesickness by subjecting him to intense physical activities. Thanks to Dante, we succeeded in that. However, there is one more factor, I think, that also helped."

"Said factor is?" Da Vinci asked.

"Look around you," Dawkins told her.

"You mean…" Da Vinci turned her attention to her siblings. "The pups?"

"To match Dante, I told Dylan and Dolly to get them playing," Dawkins said. "But I also wanted them involved because, since he was so excited to have them cheer for him, I figured perhaps Desmond needs not only exercising but a _group environment_ , as well. And that made me think, that's the only element you won't find in Deepak's sessions."

 _That's right! Deepak has really only been taking us in his room one at a time,_ Da Vinci thought. She put her paw over her mouth. "Yeah, you are right about that."

"I wasn't entirely certain of this," Dawkins told her, "prior to the last two games, that is. And from what I've seen, Desmond's been genuinely enjoying himself this whole time. Furthermore, I've been keeping a close eye on him the few times he's entered the backyard, and not once have I seen him tremble—he hasn't so much as twitched."

"Really?!" Da Vinci's eyes widened.

Dawkins nodded. "Now, keep him blind to this. He is to remain unaware—I don't want to run the risk of his bias interfering with the treatment's effectiveness."

"Of course, of course! I won't say a word!" Da Vinci said, voice high; she quickly shut her muzzle with her paws and shot Deepak a glance.

"Heh heh, try a little louder. It will take a siren to wake him," Dawkins said. "I'll show you in a minute."

"DYLAAAN~!"

"Speaking of enjoyment." Dawkins turned to the backyard's entrance. "She's really been relishing in chasing him around, hasn't she?"

Dylan exited the house, running; he maneuvered around the pups and headed for the trampoline.

Da Vinci followed him with her eyes, as did Dawkins.

"I wonder why she's been targeting him mostly. It's been like this ever since the first game," Da Vinci said.

Dolly dashed out of the house, fixing her gaze on Dylan; multiple collars on her neck swung from side to side, hitting each other, tags and pendants clanging into one another.

The moment the pups saw her, they moved out of the way.

"Did he do something?" Da Vinci asked.

"Perhaps," Dawkins replied.

"DOLLY!"

"And here's your underdog." Dawkins looked back at the backyard's entrance again.

The pups backed away even more as they heard the thud of heavy, fast steps approaching from within the house.

Desmond shot out, flying past the pups, chasing after Dolly. Sweat rolled down his body as his paws pounded across the ground.

Da Vinci squinted, taking a better look at Desmond. She saw only one collar dangling from his neck—hers. _Huh. Still on his neck? Has no one tried taking it from him?_ She thought. _Guess Dolly was right; there's not much value in going after my collar._ Her ears dropped.

Dylan hurled himself under the trampoline.

Dolly jumped on top of it and bounced from one part of the mat to another. "Come out from under there! If you don't, you'll get hit at some point!"

Desmond jumped on the trampoline, sending Dolly flying a few meters into the air as he sank into the mat.

"Whoa! Too high, too high!" Dolly yelled, flailing her limbs.

Desmond bounced up as Dolly descended. Mid-way, he reached out his paws toward his collar; she smacked them away and proceeded to fall. Desmond went higher. Dolly hit the mat, bounced off of it, and landed on the ground. Plummeting, Desmond hit the mat and bounced off to the opposite side.

Stepping on the ground, Desmond locked eyes with Dolly. He coughed. Wobbling slightly and panting heavily, he felt every beat of his heart throughout his body.

Dolly clicked with her tongue. "Uh-uh-uh, this simply won't do, Des. We're only three games in, and you're gasping for air? Very disappointing." She sneered. "Honestly, I wanted to see how much this stamina of yours will keep ya goin'. Alas, this is it, I guess, since you're running on empty."

"Argh!" Desmond broke into a sprint.

 _Oh, no, Des, no._ Dolly put a paw on her cheek, watching him run at her. _You've slowed down a lot._

Desmond sprung at her but she swerved to the side, avoiding him.

Desmond veered in her direction and ran at her again. Jumping back and from side to side, Dolly couldn't help but titter as she dodged each of Desmond's pounces.

"You're getting slower by the second." Dolly panted. She ran backward as Desmond chased after her. "Say, how 'bout this: manage to touch your own collar, and I'll give you half of the collars I have, yours included."

Desmond stopped in place, as did Dolly.

 _Let's see,_ Dolly thought, quickly counting her collars. _Twenty-four, okay._ She turned to him. "I'll give you twelve. That way, you'll have one more than me. Sound good?"

 _I don't know if I should be pissed or happy!_ Desmond glared at her. He drooped his head, gasping. _I'm sure there's almost no time left, so this is my best shot at victory. But, damn her! She's only doing this because she thinks I'm no challenge for her anymore. However_ —he touched the collar on his neck— _if I win, Da Vinci wins, too. We both win!_

Seeing Desmond stand with his head hung, motionless, Dolly tilted her head left, then right. "Yo, Des! Clock is ticking, y'know. Don't tell me you ran out of gas already?" She waited a few more seconds before approaching him.

When she was four steps away, Desmond lunged at her.

Dolly leaped back, barely dogging. "Hee-hee, I knew you were playing possum!"

Desmond let out a roaring bark, causing Dolly to shudder for an instant. She stepped the wrong way and tripped on the ground. She jerked her head up, eyes wide. Her whole body got engulfed in Desmond's shadow when he closed the distance between them. He opened his jaws and went for his collar.

"END OF GAME!" Dawkins yelled.

Desmond halted.

Everyone in the backyard stopped in their tracks.

Dolly stared at Desmond, taking a couple of seconds before blinking. She turned her head toward Dawkins. "End? Time's up?" She grew a grin and sprung on her legs. "Oh, yeah! Yeah! YEAH!" She twirled. "Victory is mine!"

"AGHHHHH!" Desmond yelled, drooping on his side. "I was so close!" He struck the ground with his paw repetitively. "So close! So close! So close!"

Dolly lay on her back and rolled over to the trampoline where she hopped on to it and bounced as high as she could. "THE QUEEN OF SNATCHING REMAINS UNBEATEN!" Her laugher filled the entire backyard. She drew attention to her siblings. "COME PRAISE YOUR VICTOR!"

"QUEEN OF SNATCHING! QUEEN OF SNATCHING!" The pups shouted, gathering around the trampoline.

"Ha-ha! That's right!" Dolly bounced on her back. After a dozen more bounces, she bent her elbows and knees upon touching the mat, coming to a stop. "All right, all right." She took off a collar. "Head's up, Denver!" She tossed the collar to him.

Denver hopped and caught it in his mouth. He took off two collars before putting his on. He stood on his hind legs, propping on the trampoline. "Dechang, Dobie, come get your collars!" He yelled to them from the other side.

"Dilma." Dolly threw the pup's collar at her.

Dilma grabbed it with her paws. Turning toward a pup, she removed a collar from herself and handed it out. "Here ya go, Daley."

The pups returned and exchange collars with a smile, discussing the game as they did.

"Duffy, Daphne, Dixie, Ditto!" Dolly continued to toss her siblings their collars back until only hers and Desmond's remained on her neck. She walked to the edge of the trampoline and tucked her head under it. "You comin' out or what?"

Dylan lay on the grass, his paws crossed, tail wagging, smiling.

"Huh! And what are you so happy about, loser?" Dolly knitted her brows.

"You tell me," Dylan replied. "I'm waiting for you to notice."

"Notice?" Dolly jumped on the ground. "Notice what?"

Dylan crawled out, stood, and faced her. "You sure gathered a lot of collars, but didn't you miss a certain _star_?"

Dolly's ears jumped and her eyes went wide. "No. No, it can't be!"

Dylan raised his chin slightly, displaying the star-shaped pendant on his collar.

Dolly gawked at it for a second before grabbing and pulling her left ear. "Are you kidding me?! How?! How, how, how?!" She bumped herself on the head. "How could I forget?!" She groaned. "I was supposed to win with _your_ and Desmond's collars! Dam—"

Dylan slammed his paw onto her mouth. "Mind your language, Snatch Queen."

Dolly smacked his paw away, turning her back at him. ' _Mind your language,' hump! Dog damn it. What kinda win is this?!_

Dylan patted her on the shoulder. "Next time," He said with a smirk.

Dolly snorted.

Dylan patted her again before strutting over to Desmond.

Opening an eye and stretching out, Deepak yawned, lifting his head off of Dawkins' fur.

Dawkins jerked his head toward him. "You're awake?!" He placed his paw over his mouth. "S-Sorry, did I woke you up?"

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have announced the end of the game like a rooster," Da Vinci said.

"He didn't wake up the last two times I did it," Dawkins told her.

Deepak rubbed his nose, then his eye. "Ah, what's… What's going on?"

Da Vinci put a paw onto the pup's head and stroked it. "Did you sleep well?"

"Y-Yeah." Deepak looked at her as he blinked several times, vision blurred. "You're here?" He rubbed both his eyes. "Aren't you, umm, playing anymore? Did the game end?"

"Three times over," Dawkins said.

"I see," Deepak murmured, staring at the ground. He snapped his head at Dawkins. "What?! Three games? W-Well, then?" He slapped his cheeks, trying to wake himself. "Did you come to a conclusion?"

Dawkins eyed Desmond, then turned to Deepak. "Indeed, I did. But before I tell you, how about we go see how he's doing, hmm?" He stood.

Da Vinci rose, as did Deepak.

Moving out of the shade, Deepak squinted his eyes and wobbled a little as he made a few steps before regaining his balance.

"Still sleepy?" Da Vinci asked.

"Just"—Deepak rubbed his eye—"a little."

"You want to get some rest?" Dylan bent down to Desmond.

"Another… game… is what… I want…" Desmond said through pants.

Dylan raised a brow. "You want to win that bad, huh?" He shook his head side to side, then turned to his siblings and let out a loud whistle. "All right, everyone! Twenty-minute break!"

"Didn't get your collar snatched, eh? Way to go," Dawkins said, sitting next to Dylan.

Dylan raised his head and flicked his pendant with a claw. "Hah, Thanks. You have no idea what it was like having Dolly on my tail. She was relentless. Can't believe I managed to keep my collar for all three games."

Dawkins' brows shot up. "Whoa, all three?!"

"I mean, you think someone would come near her when she's out for blood?" Dylan asked. "Dolly kind of kept me safe"—he glanced at her—"even if she isn't aware of it."

"Congratulations, in that case!" Dawkins bumped him on the side.

Da Vinci, along with Deepak, sat next to Desmond.

Da Vinci bent over him. "Did you have fun?"

Desmond turned on his back and placed a paw onto his lifting and dropping chest. "You bet!"

Deepak stood sat, feeling Desmond's aura flicker with each heavy breath he took. _Less potent than earlier; not surprising with him being worn out and all,_ He thought. _But, more importantly, it's still very vibrant!_

Brushing the fur on his chest, Desmond moved his paw up to his neck. _Ah, yeah._ He flipped over onto his paws and stood himself. He turned to Dylan and Dawkins. "I'll go rest in the shade over there." He pointed toward the paint-coated wall across the backyard.

"The table's closer," Dawkins told him.

"But its shade isn't big enough for me," Desmond said. He took Da Vinci by the paw and led her along with him. "I just remembered there were some things I wanted to discuss with Da Vinci about art. Tell me when the break's over, okay?"

"Sure," Dylan replied as he fiddled his pendant, ears perked.

Deepak tilted his head to the side as he watched Desmond usher Da Vinci to the wall. _I. Still can't believe it. Such a vast difference._ He drew attention to Dawkins. _What more was there to add?_

When they reached the wall, Desmond eyed the painting of the Shepherd's head on it. "Is this a new one? With a Bluebird, too! Top-notch as always, Da Vinci." He plopped down on the grass and took some time to examine the painting.

"Thanks." Da Vinci settled next to him.

He took off the collar on his neck and handed it to her. "Here. Sorry for not winning, but no one got their paws on it."

Da Vinci took it. _Can't imagine why?_ She began placing it around her neck.

"I didn't let them touch it," Desmond added, thumping his chest.

Da Vinci stopped. "You didn't?"

"Yeah. Thought if I couldn't win, at least I'd make sure no one snatched it from me," Desmond told her.

Da Vinci proceeded to put her collar on as a smile formed on her face.

"You heard Dawkins. It's a big deal, right?" Desmond said.

Da Vinci nodded.

Desmond breathed out. "A win, then?"

"Yup, yup!" Da Vinci said.

They raised and slapped each other's paws.

Da Vinci took a look around the backyard. "So, uh, how many tried getting it?" She asked, tapping her paws on the grass in anticipation.

Desmond gave it a thought. "Most of the pups, the Dimitris, Delgado, he was a huge pain to lose, Dizzy, Dee Dee… Ah! Then there was Deja Vu! She jumped me out of nowhere! Said she won't miss the chance to wear her big sis' pretty collar. Guess she really likes it because she chased me all around the house trying to get it."

Da Vinci raised her ears, listening, tail wagging. "Most were eager to take it, then?"

"Uh-huh," Desmond replied. "But next game, I'll be sure to win! Promise! If I don't, I'll buy you twenty canvases." He put a paw onto his chest.

"Come on, now; there's no need to go that far." Da Vinci chuckled. "Retaining my collar till the end alone is fantastic!"

"I want you to play next game, though," Desmond said, lowering his head to her level, "just for a little while. They'll suspect us if you keep giving me your collar at the start of every game."

"Ohhh, I don't know." Da Vinci glanced to the side. "W-What if someone else takes my collar before you?"

"Then"—he ran his paw across the grass in a zigzag motion—"lose them. Or buy some time until I come and 'snatch' your collar."

"I'm not all that nimble on my paws, I've told you that," She said.

Desmond drew his brows together and slammed his paw next to the Shepherd-dog painting. "Come on. Don't tell me you can draw with such accuracy and detail, yet can't deal with a few pups."

"But you can't compare the two, they are— And, well, I, umm, err…" Da Vinci fiddled with her paws. "Can't you, Oh, ugh, you know, just—"

"Come on, Da Vinci." He lightly shook her side to side with his paws. "You have no idea how fun it is! Give it a try; I know you'll do fine."

 _Fun for you,_ She thought, grabbing his paws, stopping them. "Only. For a little while?"

"Ten minutes," Desmond said, "then I'll take over."

"Ten minutes?"

"Ten minutes, yes. Not a minute longer."

"Geez." Da Vinci glanced downward. _Ten minutes. Only ten. I can manage._ She tightened her grip on his paws. "Yeah, okay. I can do it. No problem."

"All right, there you go! You can do it! You can do it!" Desmond said, lifting and lowering both their paws at a rapid pace.

"I-I can," Da Vinci said, the corner of her mouth rising as her body waggled. "I can. I can. I can! I can! I can!"

"Yeah, yeah, that's the spirit!" Desmond chortled. "You can do it! You can do it!"

"Huh." Dylan cocked his head, watching Desmond and Da Vinci. "Such excitement over an art discussion."

Dawkins directed his ears towards the two. "It sounds like Desmond's trying to encourage Da Vinci to play, actually."

"Ah! That's nice of him," Dylan said. "Now lower your ears. It's impolite to listen in on others."

Feeling a tug on his tail, Dawkins looked down.

"So, umm, can you answer me now?" Deepak asked. "About _that_ element you said was missing from the treatment?"

Dawkins stooped down to get in level with him; he put his paw onto Deepak's head and turned it toward their siblings. "Voilà."

Deepak lifted his paw and slowly stretched it out toward the pups. "T-Them?"

"Yes, them," Dawkins said, shaking the pup's head playfully. "That is _factor B_."

Deepak sat still, peering at his siblings. He stroked his ear, then slowly brought his paws together, and thought, _I… see now._ He took in a breath, held it for a few seconds, and let it out as he closed his eyes. _Yes, I see. Something really needed a change here._

"You heard, too, right, Dylan?" Dawkins asked.

"Yeah," Dylan said.

"Then, don't bright it up when you're talking with Desmond; just leave him be as he is," Dawkins told him.

"As you say, Doc," Dylan replied.

* * *

Staring at the ground, Dolly stomped in a circle as she threw Dylan the occasional glare. _'Next time,' he says. Pleased with yourself, are you?! You chicken! All you did was run away the entire time!_ She pursed her lips.

"Still peeved?"

Dolly looked to the side and saw Delgado, who grinned at her.

"Shut it," She grunted.

"Hah, so it seems." His grin grew wider.

"You here to annoy?" Dolly said with a growl.

"Easy there, sis." His eyes drifted toward the crimson collar. "I just wanted to tell you that you still haven't given Desmond his collar back. Break's almost over, you know."

"Actually, I wasn't planning on another game," Dolly said. "'Collar Snatcher' is fun and all, but it gets dull if played for too long."

"So, we're playing something else?" Delgado swayed his tail, which caught Dolly's attention.

"Getting bored, were you?" She asked.

"Hah, what am I to say, when no one can match you in speed," He said, glancing over to the pups.

"Oh, yeah? Who took ya collar in game _número dos_ , Cheetah?" She tapped the tip of his nose.

"And who took it back ten seconds later?" He pushed her muzzle. "Now tell, what do you have in mind?"

Dolly focused on Dylan and pondered for a bit. She turned to Delgado. "How's your aim?"

"Good," Delgado said. "Why?"

"Go fetch me all the rubber balls we have," Dolly replied.

"A ball game, eh? But why so many balls?"

"We'll be playing dodgeball."

"Oh-ho, sweet!" Delgado said and strode over to the cardboard box. _Dodgeball. Ha-ha! You sure got on her nerves, didn't you, Dylan?_

Dolly tightened all of her collars and skipped her way over to Dylan. With a broad smile, she slapped him on the back. "I'll admit, Dyl, you got me very impressed! Keeping your collar till the end—well done! Very nice!"

Dylan backed away from her a little. "You aren't mad?"

"Pff, nah, bro!" Dolly wrapped her paw around his shoulder. "Took some time to chill, figured there's nothing to be angry over. I won, after all, didn't I? Plus"—she swung his pendant—"your old star just can't compete with this baby right here." She jiggled Desmond's collar. "So, no hard feelings."

"Uh, all right." Dylan slipped out of her hold. "Well, then, go give Desmond back his collar and get the pups ready for the next game; it's almost time."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll return it to him." Dolly groaned. "After he earns it, of course," She murmured.

"What was that?" Dylan asked.

"Nothing," Dolly replied. "Now zip it and listen; I send Delgado to get all of our rubber balls, 'cause we're playing dodgeball!"

"Oh. Well, hold on a second." Dylan spun his head toward Desmond and Da Vinci. "Guys, it's time!" He yelled out to them and turned back to Dolly. "So, dodgeball?"

"Not any ordinary dodgeball"—Dolly pulled on her headband—"Army Dodgeball!"

"Ah, good idea," Dylan said, tightening his collar. "Then, let's round up the pups and ask them whose team they want to be on."

"You got it," Dolly said. "Let's just wait for Delgado to get the balls here."

"Come on, come on! Get everyone gathered, and let's get the game going!" Desmond said as he and Da Vinci walked up to them. "And give me that back, Dolly."

Dolly reached for his collar. "Sure—"

Dawkins pulled her down by the left ear and whispered into it.

Dolly squinted her eyes as she listened. "Uh-huh. That so?" She looked over to Desmond and back to Dawkins. "Sure. But, all the time or just for toda—"

Dawkins tugged her ear, making her yelp.

"Okay, okay, okay!" Dolly growled, grabbing and shoving his paw to the side. "You wanna damage this one, too, or what?!"

"What?" Desmond asked.

"Personal stuff." Dolly took off his collar and handed it out to him. "As I was saying, sure, here ya go."

Desmond raised his paw to take it, but before he could, Dolly threw it into the air.

"Oops! My bad." Dolly chuckled.

Desmond followed it with his eyes as it fell.

Dolly raised her head, letting the collar slip on. "'Here ya go' only if you win it back first," She told him. "You'll have to make up for being such a disappointment in the last game."

Desmond furrowing his brows. "Watch yourself—you're pushing your luck." He snarled.

Dolly gasped. "Oh, how rude of me." She covered her mouth with a paw. "How's about you shut me up by betting me in dodgeball?"

"You're on!" Desmond stomped on the ground, then paused. "Dodgeball?"

"You heard me right," Dolly said. "And, Da Vinci." She turned to her. "If you're gonna put in as much effort as you did in 'Collar Snatcher,' you might as well not pla—" Dolly raised her brows when she saw the scowl on Da Vinci's face. "What's the matter with you?" Her gaze turned to Desmond and got met with a scowl, as well. "You, too? W-What? I—"

"Oh, I'll play," Da Vinci told her, huffing. She firmly tightened her collar and looked away from her.

 _Unbelievable,_ Desmond thought. _And after getting Da Vinci all pumped_ —his brows furrowed deeper— _Dolly changes the game just like that._ He approached her. "Fine. Keep the collar. Da Vinci and I will play, so get ready to lose," He said with a dead voice.

 _How scary,_ Dolly thought, giggling nervously. "Sure. Whatever you say, big guy."

* * *

"Gather, puppies!" Dolly yelled.

All of her siblings assembled in front of her.

"Tighten your collars and get ready to throw balls, 'cause next on the menu we have dodgeball!" Dolly said.

The pups stayed silent.

A pup raised her paw.

"Yeah, Doris?" Dolly pointed at her.

"Uh, are headshots allowed?" Doris asked.

"Headshots are strongly prohibited," Dylan said firmly.

Hearing this, the pups tightened their collars and got ready to play.

A box full of balls slammed next to Dolly, making her wince.

"Here you go." Delgado walked next to the box. "Couldn't find all the balls outside, so I had to search the house for a few."

"Great, thanks." Dolly turned over the box, getting all the balls to roll out of it. She counted them. "Huh? Hey, there's only thirty here, were are the other eight?"

Delgado shrugged.

Dylan shot a glare at the pups.

Part of the pups looked to the side, the other downward.

 _We lost a skipping rope and now eight balls, great,_ Dylan thought, sighing. _I'm sure Mum and Dad will be thrilled to hear this._

"Well, we can still divide them evenly, so it's fine," Dolly said. "Alrighty. First! This isn't just dodgeball; it's Army Dodgeball. You all know the basic dodgeball rules, so let's cover the new ones. But before that, let's just reaffirm what Dylan said. So, no"—she took a ball in her mouth and chucked it at Dylan's head—"headshots, right?"

"Right!" The pups said, chuckling.

"Was that necessary?" Dylan frowned at her.

"Just wanted to make sure they got it." Dolly turned to the pups. "Okay, guys, pick your team." Placing a paw onto her chest, she said, "A: Team Dolly." She pointed to her side. "Or B: Team Dylan."

First to take Dolly's side was Delgado, followed by Diesel, Dizzy, Dee Dee, and forty-one of the pups.

Desmond, along with Da Vinci, stepped next to Dylan; the Dimitris, D.J., and the other half of the pups followed suit.

Dylan and Dolly took a step forth, turned around to face their teams, and did a quick count of the number of members on each one's group.

"With me included, we're forty-seven," Dylan said.

"We're one short," Dolly replied.

"Ah, right. We did leave Dorothy to sleep in the house." Dylan taped a couple of times on the grass, pondering. "Well, we have no choice." He turned to his team. "Can one of you step out?"

A pup walked out of the group.

"Really sorry, Domino," Dylan said.

"Don't worry. Wasn't all that eager to play anyway," Domino replied.

"How about you keep count of the score?" Dolly told him. "Dylan and I were planning on also acting as referees since we don't have enough people for that, but if you want, you can take that role."

"Umm, yeah, I can do that," Domino said.

"You sure? You'll also have to confirm hits and count ball-possession time," Dylan stated.

"Sheesh," Domino uttered. "Err… yeah, I'll manage." He walked up to them and took on a rigid stance. "Trust me!"

"Okay, ref, we will." Dolly patted him on the head. She faced her team. "Diesel, go grab the trowel from Mum and Dad's room and use it to split the backyard into two even areas."

"You got it." Diesel ran up to the house and went in. Several minutes after entering, he came out with the trowel in his mouth; with a swift drive, he jammed it into the ground and pushed it forward. Walking past the two groups, Diesel continued toward the fence as he made sure to keep the line in the center of the backyard. He left the trowel in the ground when he reached the fence. "All done!" He dashed back to his team.

"All right, team, grab half the balls, and after me!" Dolly strutted to one side of the backyard, her group behind her.

"Give it your best, guys!" Dylan ambled to the opposite side, team alongside him.

When both teams formed a row along the fence, fifteen pups from each team placed the balls near the ends of the line.

Domino positioned himself between the two groups, outside the playing field.

"Now that we're all set, on with the rules," Dolly said. "In Army when you get hit you aren't out, instead you're _wounded_. Someone who's wounded lies on the ground and waits for the _medic_ to come _heal_ them by tapping them; however, if they get hit again before the medic heals them, they're out."

"I have a question." Doris raised her paw. "Can we hit the medic? Is the medic out if they are hit?"

"There is a version where, if the medic is hit, the whole team goes out with them," Dolly replied, "but that's too easy; it's no fun. The medic here will be invulnerable and it's prohibited for a player to hit them."

"I'll add an additional rule," Dylan said. "Since there's a medic to get you back in the game, there will be no _backs_ ; if you're out, you're out. So don't try to catch the balls. We don't want this game to go on forever, do we?"

"Good point!" Dolly said. "Now, the medic is a player assigned by each team, who stays outside the play zone next to their team. So, go ahead and—"

"Dolly, wait!" Deepak ran up to her with Dawkins closely behind him. "Do you mind if we play this time?"

"You and Dawkins?" Dolly asked. "You wanna play?"

" _He_ mostly wanted to." Dawkins approached her from behind Deepak. "He was hesitant, but after hearing what you said about the medic, he was fine with filling the role. I decided to join, too, to even out the players."

"All right!" Dolly looked over to Dylan. "Dawkins is our medic. You can have Deepak."

"First Dante comes out to play and now Dawkins and Deepak!" One of the pups on Dylan's team hopped in place.

"I know, right?" Another said as his tail wagged. "Best day ever!"

Dawkins and Deepak took their positions next to their teams.

"Just say the word, Domino." Dylan leaned forward, readying himself.

Domino rubbed his eyes, then shot them wide open, focusing on both teams. "Ready. DODGEBALL!"

Fifteen members from each team darted for the balls, one of whom was Dolly herself. The dogs snatched the balls in their mouths and dashed back to their groups where they threw the balls toward the fence, bouncing them off of the boards; a moment after, everyone hastened to grab a ball.

Dolly threw the ball she still had at the fence and caught it on the rebound. She dashed across the backyard until she reached Dylan. Stopping near the edge of the line, she tilted her head to the side and hurled the ball at him with all of her might.

Seizing a ball when it rebounded, Dylan quickly turned around to throw it but got brought to a halt when his eyes locked on to the ball flying toward him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Attention: A character chart has been added at the end of chapter 18.


End file.
